Latest news with #EnemyPropertyAct
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Bangladesh On Edge As Yunus Unleashes Unfettered Assault On Intellectuals, Critics Of Radical Islam- Analysis
That Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh's Interim Government, continues to be suspicious of the civil society in the country has been proven once again with the arrest of reputed fellow economist, 71-years-old Professor Abul Barkat. A former Chairman of Janata Bank, Barkat was arrested by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in connection with a corruption case on July 10. His bail plea was rejected as Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) said that Barkat, arrested in connection with a 297 crore Taka embezzlement case involving Annontex Group, might go into hiding or influence witnesses and disrupt the investigation, if granted bail. Barkat has been one of the few sincere advocates for minority rights in Bangladesh's history. Unlike many who only spoke about minority issues, he provided detailed research exposing the injustices faced by the minorities. Analysts reckon that this may be the reason behind the actions taken against him. In his publication titled 'Political Economy of KHAS Land in Bangladesh' published in January 2001, Barkat's research revealed how the Enemy Property Act was and is still used to seize properties of the minority Hindu population in the country. In his study 'The Political Economy of Agricultural, Land, and Water Reforms in Bangladesh', he further detailed that over 11.3 million Hindus were forced to leave the country from 1964 to 2013. He highlighted that on an average, as many as 2,30,612 Hindus left Bangladesh each year (632 daily) and, if the trend continues, the Hindu community in Bangladesh may disappear within the next two decades. Barkat has also been an unflinching critic of radical Islam and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). He was arrested on the basis of a fabricated case filed with the ACC, now a blueprint of Pakistan's ISI. Notably, the research by Barkat found varying daily disappearance rates of Hindus during different periods: 1964–1971 (705 per day), 1971–1981 (521 per day), 1981–1991 (438 per day), 1991–2001 (767 per day) and 2001–2012 (674 per day). Barkat had alerted that there would be no Hindus in Bangladesh in the coming 30 years if the current level of exodus continued. The Bengali book by Abul Barkat on Political Economy of KHAS Lands in Bangladesh - 'Bangladeshe Khasjami-Jala: Daridra-Boishommyo Bemochener Rajnoitik Orthoniti' (The Khas Land in Bangladesh: Political Economy of Inequality and Poverty Alleviation) - published in March this year is a comprehensive research work on the subject. Besides Barkat, it has been authored by eminent economists like Sheikh Ali Ahmed, Faisal M Ahmed, and Muhammad Sazzadul Karim. The book attributes that today, around 4.5 million people in Bangladesh remain landless, often entrapped in poverty and social marginalisation. Though the government has introduced land distribution initiatives, complex legal frameworks and systemic corruption is causing much damage and delay. Now, identification and management of 'Khas Land' (Government Land) and water-bodies, distribution of the same to the landless and poor people, retention of such land and water-bodies by the landless, and pertinent rules and practices within the prevailing socio-politico context of Bangladesh constitute prime issues of agrarian reform. Sadly, 2.6 million acres of the original ownership of the Hindu community has been occupied by the rich segments of the Bangladeshi society who are an integral part of the power structure. Yunus is using the ACC to mount arrest on intellectuals, supporters of the Awami League, religious minorities and on common Bangladeshis. The desperate attempts seem similar to those made in the West Pakistan just before the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Yunus is deliberately doing this to keep himself at the frontline. He has a total control of the media and continues to engage in political repression by suppressing dissent. Yunus has now also figured out well how to control the masses. It is pertinent to point out that Barkat has repeatedly received death threats from extremist outfits since 2004 because of his research and writings on the economics of fundamentalism in Bangladesh. Deeply hurt and outraged, every conscientious citizen of Bangladesh fears that his arrest without a warrant is an attempt to enable those crimes to be carried out under state custody. Statistics reveal that 136 people have been murdered in Dhaka alone from January to April, this year. Nationwide, the number exceeds 1200. In contrast, during the same period, the murder count in Dhaka was 55 (2021), 54 (2022), 51 (2023) and 47 (2024). On July 10, the world witnessed the brutal murder of Lal Chand, a local businessman, with the perpetrators not only crushing his body and head with stones but also dancing on his corpse. Bangladeshis are fighting for survival in Yunus's totalitarian regime - this was certainly not the 'change' the student-led movement wanted for common people of the country with no past to mourn and no pride to defend. Barkat has been arrested by the Bangladesh authorities for speaking up for the minorities and exposing land grabs and attacks on Hindus by extremists. In today's Bangladesh, the illegitimate, unelected, non-transparent interim administration of Yunus - backed by the Pakistani and Chinese intelligence through the JeI - has made defending human rights a punishable offence.
News18
12-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Enemy Property: A Link Between Pervez Musharraf And Saif Ali Khan
Saif is not alone. Pakistan's former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf's property too was auctioned under the same Enemy Property Act. What is Enemy Property? Enemy property is property abandoned by those who emigrated from India to Pakistan or China following the Partition of India in 1947 or subsequent hostilities (particularly the 1962, 1965, and 1971 wars). The Enemy Property Act of 1968 was enacted by the Indian government, under which these properties are acquired and controlled by the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI), an organisation under the ministry of home affairs. These assets cannot be claimed, transferred, or inherited by relatives residing in India, particularly after significant legislative amendments provided in 2017, which consolidated the Act. What Changed in 2017? The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2017, was a game-changer. It introduced some significant changes. All the properties of the enemy are to perpetually vest with the custodian, irrespective of any court judgments or succession acts. Any sale or transfer of enemy property, even prior to the 2017 law, is null and void. Legal heirs, even Indian nationals, cannot inherit these properties. Courts are barred from adjudicating disputes regarding such properties. Saif Ali Khan's Bhopal Properties Declared Enemy Property Saif Ali Khan is the nephew of Begum Sajida Sultan, the late Begum of Bhopal. She inherited various royal properties in Bhopal after her elder sister, Abida Sultan, emigrated to Pakistan in 1950 and became a Pakistani citizen. In 2000, a trial court had ordered that Saif, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and sisters be allowed to inherit properties such as Flagstaff House, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace (which is now a luxury hotel), Dar-Us-Salam, Habibia Bangla, Ahmedabad Palace and Kohefiza property. But in July 2025, the Madhya Pradesh High Court overruled that decision. It ruled that since Abida Sultan had emigrated to Pakistan, the whole estate was enemy property under the 1968 Act. The HC directed a new trial in the district court within one year. In the meantime, the Custodian of Enemy Property can take over the properties for administration or auction. Pervez Musharraf's Family Land Also Auctioned One of the most high-profile cases was that of Pervez Musharraf, a former President of Pakistan. His family had property in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh. In September 2024, a 13-bigha (approximately 2-hectare) piece of agricultural land owned by the Musharraf family was auctioned by CEPI. The sale was legally enforceable under the Enemy Property Act. It was one of the first large-scale publicised auctions of an enemy property owned by a person of Musharraf's standing. How Many Enemy Properties in India? There are more than 12,600 enemy properties in India, as per government records. There are approximately 12,485 from Pakistan and approximately 126 from China. The total value of such properties is estimated to be around Rs 1 lakh crore. These are land plots, residential houses, palaces, and business buildings. The big states with enemy properties are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. How Many Have Been Auctioned? CEPI has sold hundreds of properties throughout India, primarily agricultural and residential real estate. Dozens of sales have taken place in Uttar Pradesh, Bengaluru, and Maharashtra. In Bengaluru alone, 24 properties were estimated to be worth over Rs 500 crore. Exact figures differ by region and year, but auctions remain a steady source of income for the government. The Mahmudabad Case: A Turning Point One of the most famous cases is that of the Raja of Mahmudabad, whose father migrated to Pakistan in 1947. The family fought a decades-long legal battle to reclaim their property in Uttar Pradesh. advetisement In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Raja, allowing him to reclaim his assets. However, this judgment caused panic within the government, which feared more claims. As a result, the 2017 amendment to the Act was passed, effectively overruling the Supreme Court judgment and blocking future claims from Indian heirs. Government's Role and CEPI's Power
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Saif Ali Khan's case: understanding the Enemy Property Act, a law born out of war and the legacy of Partition
Saif Ali Khan, the great-grandson of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal, is embroiled in a complex legal dispute with the Indian government. Several of his key assets, including the Flag Staff House and Noor-Us-Sabah Palace in Bhopal, have been designated as 'enemy properties' because Abida Sultan, Hamidullah Khan's eldest daughter, migrated to Pakistan. Interestingly, this lawsuit is one among the growing number of cases where claimants are seeking ownership of enemy properties. But what is the Enemy Property Act, when was it enacted, and where does it originate from? The Enemy Property Act was passed by the Parliament in 1968. In Siyasi Muslims: A Story of Political Islams in India (2019), author Hilal Ahmed argues that the act 'empowered the government,' to regulate the appropriation of property in India owned by those who have taken up Pakistani nationality. Authors Onkareshwar Pandey and Manmohan Sharma, in The Issue of Enemy Property and India's National Interest (2011), explain that the act bestowed the Indian government with the sole right to acquire the properties of those who adopted the nationality of Pakistan or China following the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and the Sino-Indian War in 1962. Initially called evacuee property, these properties were placed under the watchful eye of custodians when their original owners left for Pakistan. Following the India-Pakistan war of 1965, both countries agreed, in the Tashkent Declaration of 1966, to discuss the return of property seized by the other side. 'All that occurred instead was a change in nomenclature, as evacuee property came to be redesignated as enemy property,' says political scientist Niraja Gopal Jayal in Citizenship And Its Discontents: An Indian History (2013). While Pakistan sold off its enemy properties owned by Indians who migrated during 1965–1976, the custodian of enemy property in India continues to hold such assets, estimated to be worth thousands of crores. As of today, there are approximately 2,000 enemy properties spread across the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat. In The Long Partition and the Making of Modern South Asia: Refugees, Boundaries, Histories (2007), author Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar draws attention to the post Custodian of Enemy Property that was established in Britain during the years of the Second World War (1939-1945). 'It was a part of the 'trading with the enemy' legislation which allowed the British government to take over the properties of 'belligerent enemies' in Britain, which included citizens of Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as 'technical enemies,' which included citizens of Czechoslovakia and Poland,' she notes. According to Zamindar, properties of 220,000 people were seized through the legislation. The first 'high-profile' case, concerning the Enemy Property Act, was that of Mohammed Amir Mohammed (M A M) 'Suleiman' Khan, the Raja of Mahmudabad in Uttar Pradesh in 2005. After a battle that lasted 32 years, the Supreme Court awarded Khan the right to take over his late father's extensive properties. Khan's father had migrated to Pakistan in 1957, leaving properties that, according to Jayal, account for almost half of all enemy properties in the country (1,100 of 2,100). M A M Khan was twice elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, and used his loyalty as an Indian citizen to his favour. Jayal notes that Khan, in a public response, said: 'I petitioned everyone, saying my mother and I are Indians, not enemies. I wanted the stigma of 'enemy of state' on my family to be removed and I am happy that I have won this battle.' In the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment in the Mahmudabad case, Indian courts were flooded by many such claimants of enemy properties. One such case, cited by Pandey and Sharma, was filed in the Allahabad High Court where a person claimed nearly one-third of Agra, including the Taj Mahal. Interestingly, the claimant also furnished documents proving his lineage. This led the Indian government to propose an amendment to the Enemy Property Act of 1968, 'to prevent the indiscriminate purchase and sale of 'enemy property,' to debar courts from passing more such orders giving away enemy property worth huge sums of money,' notes Jayal. Although the Bill was withdrawn, the government, on July 2, 2010, promulgated the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance. According to scholars, the ordinance sought to undo the effect of the many claims on enemy properties by vesting all rights in the custodian and the central government. Muslim members of the Parliament, however, protested and urged the prime minister to reconsider this, keeping in mind the rights of minorities since most of those claiming the enemy property were Muslims. The Raja of Mahmudabad, as cited by Jayal, asked: 'Are they being punished for choosing to stay back in India even though the SC has upheld their rights as Indian citizens?' Prime minister Manmohan Singh acceded to the request on August 4, 2010, withdrawing the existing law. Finally, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs to introduce the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Second Bill, 2010. The Bill was to cover '80 properties seized under the Defence of India Rules of 1962 after their Chinese-origin owners migrated or were deported, and 2,168 highly prized properties declared 'enemy property' through the 1968 law after their owners migrated to Pakistan following the 1965 war,' state Pandey and Sharma. While Saif Ali Khan's case has thrust the 1968 act back into the limelight, what remains, according to Jayal, is the fact 'of its being strongly inflected by religious identity and a presumptive association with a hostile neighbour, Pakistan.' The legacy of the Partition of British-India endures in the disputed status of over 2,000 properties, scattered across India. Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
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First Post
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Saif Ali Khan's Rs 15000 crore property case: How the controversy began and why it may reignite old tensions in Nawab's family
The district court is now going to examine every detail of the case. Nobody from the Pataudi family has commented on the matter yet read more In a massive setback for Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, the actor recently lost out on properties belonging to the Pataudi family worth Rs 15000 crore as the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared them as 'Enemy Property.' They overturned a 1999 verdict favouring his great-grandmother, Sajida Sultan. As per India's Enemy Property Act, such assets are those left by individuals who migrated to Pakistan post-Partition (1947) or became citizens there—here, due to Sajida's brother moving to Pakistan. The government can now manage or seize them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How did it all begin? We have to talk about Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. He had three daughters: Abida Sultan, Sajida Sultan (the great grandmother of Saif Ali Khan, and Rabia Sultan. Under the Bhopal Succession to the Throne Act of 1947, his eldest daughter, Abida, was supposed to inherit his fortunes. But in 1950, Abida moved to Pakistan—ten years before her father passed away. That implied her inheritance could be seized under the Enemy Property Act. And Sajida Sultan was declared the legal successor. It is said (but not confirmed) that her marriage with Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his close ties to then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru helped secure her claim to the estate. What next in this controversy? The district court is now going to examine every detail of the case. Nobody from the Pataudi family has commented on the matter yet. Will this ruling create a sense of animosity or anger in the family? It also throws light on the legal system in the new and Independent India. What netizens are saying Oh so this property doesn't belong to him anymore? Any udea about that Delhi Pataudi house? Called for a complete retrial is the sessions of fight start again from the beginning? I think with this judgement it will affect the delhi case too unless it belongs to saif lineage. Here the bhopal properties were from inception where saif grandfather had three daughters where one of them shifted to Pakistan so government claimed these. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yes he won't get any part of all these properties and it will all become government/india's property. Saif's grand aunt chose to move to Pakistan with her husband during partition so her share becomes enemy property. Are these Bhopal properties the only ancestral properties he had? I mean, does he not have any other ones that he can claim?
News18
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Morning Digest: UAE Golden Visa Gets Easier for Indians & Other Top Stories
Last Updated: Whether you want to know why you're still tired after 8 hours of sleep or what Elon Musk is plotting next—today's brief has something for every mood. ☀️ Good Morning, India! From celebrity hotel gossip to mystical miracles on hilltops, today's news mix is rich in throwbacks, financial wisdom, and global political surprises. Indians can now earn a 10-year UAE visa without pouring money into real estate. If you have skills or academic merit, you can apply through nomination. 👉 Check new rules 🎬 Rekha, Kamal & A Hotel Room: Rumour Or Real? Before Big B ever entered the frame, Rekha was rumoured to share a spark with another superstar—Kamal Haasan. 👉 Read the tale It's a week of change and progress. Fire signs feel charged, while air signs must find emotional grounding. What's in store for you? 👉 See your stars After backing Trump with ₹2,400 crore in campaign funds, Musk is now taking matters into his own hands—and shaking up US politics like never before. 👉 Power play in motion No more robotic bios. Young professionals are reshaping LinkedIn with personality, soft aesthetics, and bold purpose. Here's how to update your profile. 👉 Gen-Z at work 🏰 Saif Ali Khan's Royal Property Case Reopened Saif and family's claim to ancestral Bhopal properties—worth crores—is back in court. The High Court wants a fresh trial under the Enemy Property Act. 👉 Inheritance battle resumes First Published: July 08, 2025, 06:00 IST
