Latest news with #EnemyPropertyActof1968
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
NDTV
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Explained: Why Saif Ali Khan Could Lose Rs 15,000 Crore Royal Legacy
Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan - the grandson of Iftikhar Ali Khan, the last ruler of the former princely state of Pataudi in Haryana - is on the brink of losing a chunk of his royal legacy after the Madhya Pradesh High Court set aside a trial court order recognising him, and his immediate family, as the sole owners of properties worth Rs 15,000 crore in and around Bhopal. These properties include the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace (now a luxury hotel) and Flagstaff House in the city, as well as palaces, royal bungalows, and other real estate scattered around the state. The actor must now wage a legal battle to hold on to those properties and his legacy; the High Court directed the trial court to re-examine the case and deliver a fresh ruling within a year. But that isn't the only challenge facing the actor - having quite the tumultuous 2025 after being stabbed in January during a home invasion - for he must also contest the government's 'enemy' property tag. Saif Ali Khan, Nawab of Pataudi (and Bhopal?) Technically, yes. Khan, 54, is the great-grandson of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal. Hamidullah Khan's second daughter, Sajida Sultan, is the actor's grandmother. Hamidullah Khan, Nawab of Bhopal. Photo: Carl Vandyk - Carl Vandyk, Public Domain The Nawab's first daughter and oldest child, Abida Sultan Begum migrated to Pakistan after the Partition - remember this point, we'll return to it shortly - while Sajida Sultan chose to stay in India, succeeded her father, and inherited the late Nawab's privately-held properties. That inheritance was acknowledged by the government in 1962; a Home Ministry notification said the government had no objection to the properties being transferred to her name. Again, remember this point. Sajida Sultan then married Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi, and these properties were then passed down to her son, Mansoor Ali Khan, and then grandson, Saif Ali Khan. So far, so good. Now for the plot twist. The High Court Setback In 2000 a Madhya Pradesh trial court ruled that Saif and his family - his mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan - were the rightful heirs to the Bhopal properties. That decision, however, was challenged by other descendants of Hamidullah Khan, who argued the last Bhopal Nawab's wealth should be divided according to Muslim Personal Law. Last week the High Court agreed and re-opened the question of succession. And so, if the trial court now reverses its original ruling, Saif Ali Khan will lose a portion, possibly quite a large one too, of his family's inheritance from Hamidullah Khan and Sajida Sultan. The 'Enemy Property' Act Meanwhile, a second (and possibly stiffer) challenge lurks in the shadows. Now, remember the points from earlier? In 2014 the government issued a notice to Saif Ali Khan that said the Enemy Property Act of 1968 would be applied to the Rs 15,000 crore in properties inherited from the former Bhopal ruler. The notice argued that since Hamidullah Khan's oldest daughter, his natural heir, had surrendered Indian citizenship by migrating to Pakistan, the properties were now considered as belonging to the 'enemy' and, therefore, subject to seizure by the Indian government. The Bhopal properties were inherited by Saif Ali Khan via Hamidullah Khan's second daughter, Sajida Sultan, who became the de facto heir after her sister's migration. In 1962 the government - then led by the late Jawaharlal Nehru - accepted the claim, and said she was "the sole successor to all private properties, movable and immovable, held by Nawan Hamidullah... no objection to such properties being transferred to Sajida Sultan Begum". In any case, Saif Ali Khan contested this claim in court and won a temporary stay. But in December 2024 the High Court dismissed his petition and lifted that stay, and gave the actor and his family 30 days to file an appeal. The dismissal was based on the government repealing the 1968 law on 'enemy' property "from a retrospective date" and set up an appellate authority - the Custodian of Enemy Property in Mumbai - to re-examine all such issues. And that authority overruled the 1962 notice recognising Sajida Sultan as the heir. It is unclear if Saif Ali Khan filed that appeal on time, particularly since the actor was stabbed on January 16, was hospitalised for nearly a week, and spent weeks after recovering from surgery. NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Saif Ali Khan loses legal ground —What's next for the royal inheritance fight? Details inside
In a big setback for and his family, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has overturned a decades-old order that once secured their claim over the royal properties of Bhopal. For years, Saif, along with his mother and sisters Soha and Saba, were legally recognized as rightful heirs to these sprawling ancestral estates. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But that status has now been thrown into uncertainty. The family has long laid claim to an impressive collection of properties passed down from the Nawab of Bhopal. These include some of the city's most valuable landmarks, like the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace Hotel, Saif's childhood home Flag Staff House, and thousands of acres of surrounding land. For nearly 25 years, a trial court ruling had upheld their ownership. But with this new decision, everything is back on the table. What exactly has the High Court decided? According to News18, the High Court's ruling has erased the earlier judgment that validated the Pataudi family's ownership. Justice Sanjay Dwivedi has sent the case back to the trial court, instructing it to review all the claims again and finish the proceedings within a year. Until a new verdict comes out, Saif and his family can't officially call these properties their own. This dispute isn't just about rival family claims. It also involves the Enemy Property Act of 1968, which allows the government to seize property belonging to those who migrated to Pakistan after Partition. In 2015, the Enemy Property Department began questioning whether the Pataudi family ever had the right to inherit what some officials argue should have been classified as 'enemy property.' Saif has been fighting that investigation ever since. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now What is the root of the dispute? To understand the controversy, you have to go back to Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. He had three daughters: Abida Sultan, Sajida Sultan, and Rabia Sultan. Under the Bhopal Succession to the Throne Act of 1947, his eldest daughter, Abida, was supposed to inherit everything. But in 1950, Abida moved to Pakistan—ten years before her father passed away. That move technically meant her inheritance could be seized under the Enemy Property Act. Even so, Sajida Sultan—Saif's grandmother—was declared the legal successor. Many believe her marriage to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his close ties to then-Prime Minister helped secure her claim to the estate. What happens next? With the High Court wiping the legal slate clean, the district court will now re-examine every detail of the case. The ruling has reignited old tensions within the Nawab's family and cast fresh scrutiny on how politics shaped royal succession in newly independent India. Until the court reaches a new decision, the Pataudi family's hold over the Bhopal estate remains in legal limbo.
