The troubles for Saif Ali Khan are not ending. His family property, worth Rs 15,000 crore in Bhopal, is now in danger. The Madhya Pradesh High Court rejected the petition of Saif and his family on June 30. This means that the fight to save this huge legacy has become more difficult. Earlier, a lower court had ruled in the year 2000 that Saif, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and sisters Soha-Saba are the real owners of this property. But now the High Court has overturned that decision, and these old disputes have started again. Apart from this, another case is also going on, in which it is yet to be decided whether this property comes under the category of 'Enemy Property' or not. Overall, this huge legacy of Saif is still stuck in a huge legal confusion.

What is this whole dispute?

This dispute started with a decision made in 2000. At that time, a lower court had ruled that Saif Ali Khan and his family were the rightful legal owners of the property of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal. But some other family members of the Nawab were not happy with this and challenged this decision. They said that this property should be divided according to Muslim Personal Law, not according to the rules of the royal family.

They also say that the Nawab's daughter, who is Saif's grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was wrongly made the sole owner of this property. Now the Madhya Pradesh High Court has canceled that old decision and said that the lower court will have to look into this case again and give a new opinion on it within a year.

What is the matter with 'enemy property'?

Along with this inheritance dispute, there is another big legal hurdle. These properties of Bhopal have been marked as enemy property. In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property issued a notification bringing these properties under the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The basis for this was that Nawab Hamidullah Khan's eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, had taken Pakistani citizenship after Partition and left India.

Since Abida was considered the heir to the property, her share of the property was declared enemy property. According to this law, her Indian descendants have no right over such properties. Saif had challenged this notification in court in 2015 and obtained a temporary stay. But on 13 December 2024, the High Court rejected his petition and also lifted the stay.

The court had given Saif and his family 30 days to appeal, but it is not clear whether they appealed or not. Now that this deadline has expired, these properties are legally open for government acquisition. The Bhopal district administration may soon start the process of taking possession of these properties, provided no new appeal is accepted.

Which properties are at stake?
The dispute involves several valuable properties in and around Bhopal, which have not only economic but also emotional importance for Saif's family. These include:

Noor-us-Sabah Palace: Now a luxury hotel.

Flag Staff House: Where Saif spent his childhood.

Dar-us-Salam, Habibi's bungalow, Ahmedabad Palace, and Kohe-Fiza property.

The total value of these properties is estimated to be around Rs 15,000 crore, making it one of the biggest inheritance disputes in the country.

What is the Enemy Property Act?

Enemy property means property that belongs to an enemy country, its relative, or a company of that country. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the government enacted a law in 1968 to stop claims on the property left behind by people who migrated to Pakistan or China after the war. Under this law, the government can declare the property in India of those who migrated to Pakistan at the time of independence or later and took citizenship there as enemy property.

In the year 2017, an important amendment was made in this law, which was called the Enemy Property (Amendment and Verification) Act. This made the law more stringent. According to the new rules, Indian heirs have no right to such properties, even if their citizenship is Indian. Also, the scope of this law was expanded to include shares, jewelry, and financial assets in addition to land and buildings. Most importantly, this amendment also applies to old cases, due to which many old claims and settled disputes were also canceled.

What is Saif's connection with this property?

Saif Ali Khan inherited these properties through his grandmother Sajida Sultan, who was the second daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan. Sajida was married to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, who was Saif's grandfather. When Abida Sultan went to Pakistan and gave up Indian citizenship, Sajida was made the Nawab Begum of Bhopal. In 1962, the central government issued an order declaring Sajida the sole heir to the Nawab's personal properties. These properties were later inherited by Saif's father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and then Saif and his family were considered the owners.

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