Sadhana, Lee

Mumbai, Oct. 13: Actress of yesteryears Sadhana was formally arrested and granted bail by a local court today in a defamation case filed by a builder.

The case goes back to last year when Sadhana had complained to local police, saying Yusuf Lakdawala had issued death threats to make her vacate the house in Santacruz where she lives so that he could redevelop the property.

Both reside in a bungalow called Sangeeta, which has three tenants. The actress lives on the ground floor and the builder on the second floor.

Lakdawala, who faced arrest after Sadhana’s complaint, had approached the Bandra metropolitan magistrate’s court to lodge a case of defamation against the actress, one of the top stars in the sixties and early seventies.

The former fashion icon, whose hairstyle is still known as the Sadhana cut, appeared before the court after being summoned twice earlier. She was arrested before being freed on a surety of Rs 5,000.

“The court had directed her to remain present in court twice in June and August. She would have faced arrest had she not appeared before the court today,” Lakdawala’s lawyer Vibhav Krishna said.

Lakdawala also sought to expedite the case as both the parties are senior citizens. The magistrate has directed the actress to file her reply on December 15.

In another case involving a celebrity, the police began an inquiry into Australian cricketer Brett Lee’s complaint of alleged cheating against a band for which he performed in May last year.

The MRA Marg police station in south Mumbai recorded the statement of the PR representative of Lee, who had not been paid his dues, an amount of around $20,000, for performing with the band, The M-Majors, at a mall in the western suburb of Malad.

Three of the band’s members have filed a plea for anticipatory bail before a local court. The court will hear the plea tomorrow.