In December 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property had sent a notice to Saif Ali Khan — who inherited the high-value properties after the death of his father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, in 2011– notifying him that his ancestral assets belong to the state under Section 11 of the Enemy Property Act 1968.
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who recently underwent a terrifying ordeal when he was stabbed by a prowler at his Bandra home in Mumbai, now faces a different challenge, his ancestral property, estimated to be worth over Rs 10,000 crore, could be taken away by the state. A recent order by the Madhya Pradesh High Court has declared that the Pataudi royal family properties, including the iconic Flag Staff House in Bhopal, the the luxury hotel Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, the Dar-Us-Salam residential property, the bungalow of Habibi, and the Ahmedabad Palace, belong to the state under the Enemy Property Act 1968.
The Pataudi family property dispute
In December 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property, a central government body, had sent a notice to Saif Ali Khan — who inherited the high-value properties after the death of his father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, in 2011– notifying him that his ancestral assets belong to the state under Section 11 of the Enemy Property Act 1968, that allows the government to claim properties of individuals who migrated to Pakistan after Partition or adopted Chinese citizenship.
The letter noted that Princess Abida Sultan, the eldest daughter of the last Nawab of Bhopal, Hamidullah Khan, had migrated to Pakistan in 1950, thus the Pataudi family properties come under the jurisdiction of the Enemy Property Act, and can be claimed by the state.
Abida Sultan was the older sister of Saif’s grandmother, Sajida Sultan. After the passing of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the Indian government recognized Sajida as his heir successor because her older sibling had moved to Pakistan, shortly after the 1947 partition.
Sajida married Saif’s grandfather Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi, and thus Saif Ali Khan inherited the family assets, along with the title of Bhopal Nawab, after the death of his father, Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the last Nawab of Pataudi.
Following the 2014 letter to Saif, the Custodian of Enemy Property classified all properties owned by Hamidullah Khan as ‘Enemy Properties’ and asked the Madhya Pradesh government to take possession of them. However, the order was successfully challenged in the state high court by Saif, his mother Sharmila Tagore Khan Pataudi, and aunt Sabiha Sultan.
On December 13, 2024, the MP High Court lifted its 2015 stay order, potentially paving the way for the government to claim the Pataudi family properties.
High court judge Justice Vivek Agarwal advised the petitioners to approach the Union Ministry of Home Affairs within 30 days, following which Saif Ali Khan filed a plea on January 8, 2025.
What courts said
Bhopal was one of the wealthiest and most prosperous Muslim-ruled princely states in British India, perhaps second only to Hyderabad. Bhopal’s significance can be gauged from 19-gun salute by the British on the Nawab of Bhopal’s demise.
As mentioned earlier, Begum Abida Sultan, the eldest daughter and heir of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal, moved to Pakistan in 1950, following which her younger sister, Saif’s grandmother, Sajida Sultan was recognised as the heiress to the Pataudi estate.
In their plea, the petitioners argued that the Custodian’s order violated the Bhopal Merger Agreement, which protected the personal properties of the ruler from being questioned. The said agreement also included specific protections for large farms, stating they would remain unaffected by changes in property laws.
The petitioners also referenced a 1999 ruling by Bhopal district court that had declared Sajida Sultan as the sole heiress of Hamidullah Khan’s properties, further challenging the Custodian’s decision.
In a similar case related to the erstwhile princely state of Rampur, the Supreme Court in 2019 had ruled that the properties of erstwhile rulers should be treated as personal properties and distributed according to Muslim personal law.
The apex court’s judgement suggested that all legal heirs should receive their rightful share, and that particular share may then be claimed by the Custodian as Enemy Property subject to section 11 of the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
Saif Ali Khan’s childhood home
According to various reports, Saif Ali Khan shares a deep connection with Bhopal because the actor spent most of his childhood at the Pataudi Flag House. Saif has talked about fond memories of the place and often stays at the house to recall his royal ancestry. As per locals, Saif Ali Khan, and his wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, last visited the Flagstaff House in 2020 when his aunt, Saleha Sultan, passed away.
Locals says that the Flagstaff house holds deep cultural and personal significance for Saif Ali Khan, and the titular Nawab of Bhopal, likes to meet and greet people, and ask them about their well-being whenever he comes to stay at his childhood home.
Whenever Saif Ali comes here, he meets the people around and asks about their well-being. People living near the Flag Staff House say that Saif’s childhood was spent in Bhopal