Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan is embroiled in a high-stakes legal battle after the Madhya Pradesh High Court, on June 30, 2025, overturned a 25-year-old trial court ruling, nullifying his family’s claim to ancestral properties worth Rs 15,000 crore in Bhopal. The court, led by Justice Sanjay Dwivedi, ordered a fresh trial within a year, rekindling a decades-long dispute over the estate of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, Bhopal’s last ruling Nawab.
The properties, classified as “enemy property” under the Enemy Property Act, 1968, face potential government seizure, threatening the legacy of Saif, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan. The ruling followed appeals by rival heirs, including Begum Suraiya Rashid, who demanded division under Muslim Personal Law, challenging the 2000 decision recognizing Saif’s family as sole heirs through his grandmother, Sajida Sultan.
The High Court also dismissed Saif’s 2015 petition against the 2014 “enemy property” notice, with a final ruling on December, 2024, lifting a temporary stay. Saif had 30 days to appeal, but a January 2025 knife attack at his home, requiring hospitalization and surgery, may have disrupted his ability to file, leaving the estate—including Noor-Us-Sabah Palace and Flag Staff House—vulnerable to government acquisition. The retrial, set to conclude by June 2026, could redefine the Pataudi-Bhopal royal inheritance.
The disputed estate, valued at Rs 15,000 crore, encompasses historic properties tied to the princely state of Bhopal, ruled by Nawab Hamidullah Khan until 1949. Key assets include Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, now a luxury hotel, Flag Staff House, Saif’s childhood home, Dar-Us-Salam, Habibi Bungalow, and thousands of acres in Bhopal.
After India’s independence, Hamidullah acceded to India, and in 1962, the government recognized his second daughter, Sajida Sultan, as the sole heir to his private properties, as his eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, had migrated to Pakistan in 1950, relinquishing Indian citizenship. Sajida, married to Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, passed the estate to their son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former Indian cricket captain, and subsequently to Saif, Sharmila, Soha, and Saba, affirmed by a February 2000 trial court ruling.
The Enemy Property Act, 1968, allows the Indian government to seize properties linked to individuals who became nationals of enemy states like Pakistan post-Partition. In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property classified the Bhopal estate as “enemy property” due to Abida Sultan’s migration, despite the 1962 recognition of Sajida as heir.
Saif challenged this in 2015, securing temporary relief, but the High Court’s December 2024 dismissal and Saif’s failure to appeal within 30 days—possibly due to the January 2025 attack—cleared the way for government control. The Act’s application raises questions about fairness, as Saif’s family remained Indian citizens, yet faced loss of their heritage.
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The case, one of India’s largest inheritance disputes, tests the balance between legal frameworks and royal legacies, with Saif’s family yet to comment publicly. [Rh/VP]