In a significant development regarding the Saif Ali Khan (Pataudi) family’s ancestral property in Bhopal, estimated to be worth around Rs 15,000 crore, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has lifted a stay imposed on the property in 2015.
This decision raises the possibility that the property may be acquired by the government under the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
The court’s order, dated December 13, was issued by Justice Vivek Agarwal. It stated that a statutory remedy exists under the amended Enemy Property Act, 2017, and directed the concerned parties to pursue this remedy. The court also stipulated that if a representation is filed within 30 days, the appellate authority must not consider the limitation aspect and should address the appeal on its merits.
Bhopal Collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, when approached for comment, said he had not yet received the court’s order. “I have been informed about the high court’s ruling, but I have not received the official order yet. I will review it and follow the instructions provided by the court,” Singh said.
The Enemy Property Act, 1968, was enacted following the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war to regulate the appropriation of property owned by Pakistani nationals in India.
Reports indicate that in 2015, it was declared that the legal heir to the property of Bhopal’s last Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, was his elder daughter, Abida Sultan, who had migrated to Pakistan. As a result, the property fell under the Enemy Property Act.
In contrast, Nawab Hamidullah Khan’s second daughter, Sajida Sultan, remained in India, and her descendants, including Saif Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore, inherited a portion of the property.
Now, they are asserting their claim over it, further complicating the legal situation surrounding the property.
