A Royal Setback: Saif’s Ancestral Palace Now an ‘Enemy Property

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has been handed a severe legal blow after the Madhya Pradesh High Court rejected his petition against the 'Enemy Property' label attached to his ancestral properties in Bhopal. The properties, valued at over ₹15,000 crore, include iconic buildings like the Flag Staff House, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, and thousands of acres of prime land. The setback follows a decade-long legal struggle, with the court ruling that the properties fall under the Enemy Property Act as Saif's great-grand-aunt Abida Sultan had moved to Pakistan after Partition.

 

Key Points

 

The Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed Saif Ali Khan's petition challenging the action of the government to acquire ownership of the family's Bhopal property under the Enemy Property Act, 1968.

 

The properties became 'enemy property' as Abida Sultan, eldest child of Nawab Hamidullah Khan (Saif's ancestor's), shifted her residence to Pakistan, and hence her portion—and correspondingly attached properties—came under the government's confiscation.

 

Assets at stake are heritage sites and thousands of hectares of land, whose total estimated worth is over ₹15,000 crore.

 

The court directed Saif's family to move the appellate authority within 30 days, but it is not known whether this has been done.

 

This decision opens the door for the government to take over the properties, bringing an end to the Pataudi family's three-decade grip on the properties.

 

Prognosis:

 

With the ruling of the High Court, the Pataudi family risks losing their ancestral property unless a successful appeal is lodged before the authority appellate. The case also highlights the broader implications of the Enemy Property Act for other erstwhile royal families in India.

 

Source: Times of India, India Today, Hindustan Times