Fresh trouble for Saif Ali Khan: How the Nawab of Pataudi also inherited Nawab of Bhopal's properties, what court has said about it

Indian Express

2 days ago

Actor Saif Ali Khan recently faced a legal setback, after the Madhya Pradesh High Court on June 30 set aside a trial court order that had made him, his sisters and mother the sole legal heirs of the Nawab of Bhopal.
While Saif and his kin have not yet lost all rights over these properties, their legal fight is now harder. Importantly, this case is separate from the Enemy Properties case which Saif is also fighting over these properties.
Saif Ali Khan is also the Nawab of Pataudi.
What is this case, what does Saif stand to lose, and how did the Nawab of Pataudi inherit the Nawab of Bhopal's properties in the first place? We explain.
What is this case?
Saif Ali Khan inherited the Bhopal properties from his father's mother, Sajida Begum.
Sajida's father, Hamidullah Khan, was the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal, holding the title till his death in 1960. His heir apparent had been his eldest daughter Abida Begum, but she migrated to Pakistan in 1950. Abida's younger sister Sajida then inherited the title, along with properties estimated to be worth over Rs 15,000 crore.
Sajida Begum was married to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the Nawab of Pataudi. Iftikhar and Sajida's son was Mansoor Ali Khan 'Tiger Pataudi', the famous cricketer who married actor Sharmila Tagore. The couple's children are Saif, Soha, and Saba Ali Khan.
The current case was filed 25 years ago by other family members of Hamidullah Khan, including his brother Obaidullah Khan and the third daughter Rabia Begum, who wanted a share of the Nawab's personal properties.
They are seeking partition and succession of the Nawab's private properties as per Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937, and first moved a trial court in this regard in 1999. A year later, they approached the Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh HC against the trial court's order.
The appellant heirs contended that the trial court erroneously assumed that the private properties of the Nawab are part of the throne and will thus automatically pass on to the successor to the throne.
The HC has now set aside the 1999 order and sent the matter back, directing that 'the trial Court shall make all possible efforts to conclude and decide it expeditiously, preferably within a period of one year.'
This involves some prime real estate in and near Bhopal, including the Flag Staff House, where Saif spent his childhood, the luxury hotel Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, Bungalow of Habibi, Ahmedabad Palace, and Kohefiza Property.
After Abida Begum, the Nawab's heir apparent, went to Pakistan, these were declared 'enemy property'.
Enemy property refers to the assets left behind in India by individuals who migrated to 'enemy nations'. Following the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the Indian government assumed control of properties and businesses owned by those who adopted the nationality of Pakistan or China. These properties were vested with the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.
In January, the Madhya Pradesh High Court asked Saif Ali Khan to approach the appellate authority against the government's 'enemy property' order. It is not clear whether Saif, who was then recuperating from a knife attack by an intruder inside his home, moved the tribunal by January 12.
Nawab Hamidullah Khan was the first man to rule Bhopal in five generations, only to be succeeded by his daughter again.
Bhopal has had an interesting history of women Nawabs since 1819, when Begum Qudsia prevailed upon the British to allow daughters to inherit the throne. After Qudsia came the Begums Sikandar, Shahjahan, and Sultan Jahan.
Begum Sultan Jahan, Hamidullah Khan's mother, was the first chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.
Abida Begum's son, Shaharyar Khan, eventually became Pakistan's foreign secretary. He has authored a book called The Begums of Bhopal.