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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.
Mint
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Saif Ali Khan faces major legal setback as court rules his ₹15,000 crore Bhopal estate as enemy property
In a major legal setback for Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that his ancestral property in Bhopal cannot be inherited by him or his family. The court confirmed that the estate, estimated to be worth around ₹ 15,000 crore, falls under the category of "enemy property" as per Indian law. Saif Ali Khan, along with his mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan, had challenged the government's move to label the royal estate as enemy property under the Enemy Property Act. However, the court rejected their plea and upheld the government's position. The case dates back to 2014, when the Custodian of Enemy Property officially classified the assets of the Bhopal royal family as enemy property. This was based on the fact that Saif's great-grandmother, Abida Sultan — daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan — moved to Pakistan after India's Partition in 1947 and gave up her Indian citizenship. According to the Enemy Property Act, which was passed in 1958 and later strengthened, the government is allowed to take over property owned by people who moved to countries considered enemies of India, such as Pakistan. Although a trial court in 2000 had recognised Saif and his family as rightful heirs, the decision was challenged by other family members. They argued that the inheritance should be based on Muslim Personal Law, which considers the actions of Abida Sultan ineligible for inheritance due to her migration. Saif Ali Khan had previously received a temporary stay order on the property in 2015. But in December 2024, the High Court dismissed his petition and lifted the stay. Although Saif and his family were given 30 days to appeal, no appeal was made. This has allowed the government to move forward with plans to take over the estate.
Mint
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Saif Ali Khan faces major legal setback as court rules his ₹15,000 crore Bhopal estate as enemy property
In a major legal setback for Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that his ancestral property in Bhopal cannot be inherited by him or his family. The court confirmed that the estate, estimated to be worth around ₹ 15,000 crore, falls under the category of "enemy property" as per Indian law. Saif Ali Khan, along with his mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan, had challenged the government's move to label the royal estate as enemy property under the Enemy Property Act. However, the court rejected their plea and upheld the government's position. The case dates back to 2014, when the Custodian of Enemy Property officially classified the assets of the Bhopal royal family as enemy property. This was based on the fact that Saif's great-grandmother, Abida Sultan — daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan — moved to Pakistan after India's Partition in 1947 and gave up her Indian citizenship. According to the Enemy Property Act, which was passed in 1958 and later strengthened, the government is allowed to take over property owned by people who moved to countries considered enemies of India, such as Pakistan. Although a trial court in 2000 had recognised Saif and his family as rightful heirs, the decision was challenged by other family members. They argued that the inheritance should be based on Muslim Personal Law, which considers the actions of Abida Sultan ineligible for inheritance due to her migration. Saif Ali Khan had previously received a temporary stay order on the property in 2015. But in December 2024, the High Court dismissed his petition and lifted the stay. Although Saif and his family were given 30 days to appeal, no appeal was made. This has allowed the government to move forward with plans to take over the estate. The court has now asked the trial court to restart hearings and give a final decision within a year. The Bhopal district administration is expected to begin the process of officially taking control of the estate.
Pink Villa
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
How is Saif Ali Khan related to Bhopal's Nawab Hamidullah Khan's property and what's the dispute? Know MP HC's order
Saif Ali Khan and his family have suffered a big blow in the long-running dispute over his ancestral property of Bhopal's Nawab Hamidullah Khan. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a significant decision in the ongoing matter. A fresh hearing of the case has been ordered by the Jabalpur Bench, and the final decision will decide what the Jewel Thief actor and his family get. What is the decision of the Jabalpur Bench? According to reports by India TV, the Jabalpur Bench has cancelled the 25-year-old decision given by the Bhopal trial court and ordered a fresh hearing of the case. The order requests that the court render a new decision on the property dispute within one year. How is this property related to Saif Ali Khan? The property in question belongs to Saif Ali Khan's great-grandmother, Sajida Sultan. What is the dispute all about? Earlier, the trial court had given the entire property to Sajida Sultan (great-grandmother) of Saif Ali Khan. She is the daughter of the Nawab's elder Begum. The dispute started when other heirs of Nawab Hamidullah Khan challenged the court's decision. They demanded an equitable division of property under Muslim Personal Law. According to High Court Lawyer Harshit Bari, this case will now be heard again, and the new decision will decide who will get the rights to Nawab's property worth billions and how much. Saif Ali Khan's work front Talking about his work front, Saif was last seen in Netflix's thriller film Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins. It also starred Jaideep Ahlawat in a pivotal role. He has a couple of exciting films in his kitty now. He has Go Goa Gone 2, which is directed by Raj & DK alongside Abhishek Banerjee and Radhika Madan in the lead roles. Apart from this, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan are set to reunite after 17 years for an exciting thriller directed by Priyadarshan. The film has been officially titled Haiwaan, meaning beast in English, if sources close to Hindustan Times are to be believed. It is said to promise an edge-of-the-seat experience.
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Fresh trouble for Saif Ali Khan: How the Nawab of Pataudi also inherited Nawab of Bhopal's properties, what court has said about it
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.
