Setback for Saif Ali Khan as Madhya Pradesh HC sends 25-year-old royal property dispute back to trial court; appellant heirs claim ‘private properties not part of the throne’

The appellant heirs had brought to the notice of the HC that the trial court erroneously assumed that the private properties of the Nawab were part of the throne and would thus automatically pass on to the successor to the throne. If the court delivers a different order following the new trial, it can alter the entire inheritance structure of the Bhopal royal family.

This is not the first time in recent times that Saif and family faced a setback in cases concerning their ancestral properties. In January this year, the Madhya Pradesh HC had asked the actor to approach the appellate authority against a government order that declared historical properties of the Pataudi family in Bhopal, estimated to be worth Rs 15,000 crore, as “enemy property”. The proceedings were related to a 2014 notice issued by the Custodian of Enemy Property Department, which declared the Pataudi family’s assets in Bhopal under the Enemy Property Act.

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Saif began the fight against the government order in 2015 and got a temporary stay from the High Court. But, the court lifted the stay on December 13, 2024. In the latest order, they gave Saif and his family 30 days to approach and claim their rights back over the properties, but no claim was filed within the allotted period.

Saif Ali Khan’s family tree

The Nawab of Bhopal, Hamidullah Khan, had three daughters. One of them, Abida Sultan, migrated to Pakistan, while others stayed in India. Saif is the grandson of Abida’s sister Sajida Sultan, who remained in India. But the government is citing the migrant daughter as grounds to take control of the properties.

On the work front, Saif Ali Khan was last seen in the Netflix film Jewel Thief. He will next appear in the fourth instalment of his action-thriller franchise, Race. Additionally, he also has a film with Akshay Kumar titled Haiwaan, directed by Priyadarshan.