Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan is the tenth Nawab of Pataudi, the title which he inherited from his father, the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Apart from being an exceptionally talented actor, Saif is also one of the richest celebrities in India. The actor owns the luxurious Pataudi Palace and a regal ancestral home in Bhopal. However, Saif has been embroiled in legal tussles since the government declared the Pataudi family’s property in Bhopal as ‘enemy property.’ The actor later filed a petition against the same, which the Madhya Pradesh High Court has now dismissed.
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan filed a petition against the government's notice that classified the Patuadi family’s ancestral property in Bhopal as ‘enemy property.’ However, during a hearing on December 13, 2024, this petition was dismissed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court. A single bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal made the ruling.
Reportedly, the High Court allowed Saif Ali Khan to file an appeal before the Appellate Tribunal. However, no such action was taken by the actor or his family. Sources suggest that the Pataudi family’s ancestral home in Bhopal is worth a whopping Rs. 15,000 crores. The property is owned by Saif Ali Khan and his mother, Sharmila Tagore’s family. The expansive estate extends from Kohefiza to Chiklod.
Saif Ali Khan’s legal troubles started in 2014 when the Custodian of Enemy Property Department issued a notice declaring his royal family’s property in Bhopal's enemy property.’ The Government of India issued another ordinance in 2016 that further aggravated the dispute. They announced that the family’s heir would not have any right over the Pataudi family’s property.
Following Bhopal Nawab, Hamidullah Khan’s passing in 1960, his daughter, Abida Sultan, was regarded as the heiress to the royal property. However, she relocated to Pakistan nearly a decade ago, in 1950. As a result, the Government of India instated her second daughter, Sabia Sultan, as the property’s heiress. In 2015, Saif Ali Khan challenged this declaration in the High Court. While he initially received a stay on the property, the HC rejected his petition on December 13, 2024, which resulted in the stay being lifted.
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For the unversed, property belonging to a person who moved to Pakistan during the period of India’s partition and gave up national citizenship is considered ‘enemy property.’ Abida Sultan chose to settle down in Pakistan during this sensitive period, so the Pataudi family’s property falls in that category. Following the Government of India's ordinance, people who purchased property from the Pataudi family have become fearful. They are afraid that if the government seizes the family’s properties, they may be labelled as ‘encroachers.’
Following the recent dismissal of Saif Ali Khan’s petition, the High Court gave the Khan family 30 days to appeal the decision before the Appellate Tribunal and reclaim the property. However, the Nawab family did not submit any claims, and the deadline eventually expired.
The government can now have rights over the Pataudi family’s properties per the legal process. The Bhopal district administration can start proceedings to seize the same at any time. As previously mentioned, the property is worth Rs. 15,000 crore and comprises several historical buildings and lands related to the princely state of Bhopal. If Saif and his family fail to take the necessary action before the appellate authority, they could lose their full rights to these properties.
What do you think about the ongoing legal dispute over Saif Ali Khan’s ancestral property in Bhopal?
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