Saif Ali Khan loses ₹15,000 Cr inheritance after MP HC declares it as ‘enemy property’

Hyderabad: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has lost ₹15,000 crore ancestral inheritance after the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared it as enemy property.

Madhya Pradesh High Court cleared the way for the Centre to take over royal properties once belonging to the Bhopal princely state, which actor Saif Ali Khan partly inherited. The judgment marks a major development in one of India’s most high-profile inheritance disputes and brings fresh attention to the Enemy Property Act—a law whose implications stretch back to Partition.

The Roots of the Dispute

The case revolves around the estate of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal, who had three daughters: Abida Sultan, Sajida Sultan, and Rabia Sultan. Saif Ali Khan is the grandson of Sajida Sultan and Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, a former India cricket captain and Nawab of Pataudi.

While Sajida Sultan remained in India and was declared a legal heir in 2019, her elder sister Abida Sultan migrated to Pakistan in 1950 and later gave up her Indian citizenship. This move became central to the government’s application of the Enemy Property Act on the Bhopal royal family estate.

What Is Enemy Property?

The Enemy Property Act, 1968 is a law enacted by the Indian Parliament following the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War. It empowers the Union government to appropriate immovable and movable properties in India belonging to citizens of enemy nations, primarily Pakistan and China.

When a person migrates to an enemy country and becomes its national, their assets in India are considered “enemy property.” These are vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, a government-appointed body, which then becomes the legal owner of the property.

The Act was further tightened through amendments in 2017 to ensure that any heirs of enemy nationals could not reclaim such properties through inheritance, sale, or transfer.

Why Saif Ali Khan’s Property Was Targeted

In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property classified the Bhopal royal family’s assets—estimated to be worth around ₹15,000 crore—as enemy property, because Abida Sultan, the eldest daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, had migrated to Pakistan. Saif Ali Khan had contested this classification and obtained a stay order in 2015.

However, the High Court dismissed his petition in December 2024, lifting the stay and leaving the government free to proceed. While Saif and his family were given 30 days to appeal to the appellate tribunal, no such appeal was filed.

The High Court has now directed the trial court to resume proceedings and issue a verdict within a year.

Properties Under Dispute

The royal properties in question include a long list of historically significant sites in Bhopal:

• Flag Staff House

• Noor-Us-Sabah Palace

• Four Quarters

• New Quarters

• Fars Khana

• Dar-Us-Salam

• Bungalow of Habibi

• Ahmedabad Palace

• Kohefiza

Saif Ali Khan spent much of his early childhood in Kohefiza and other parts of this estate. His inheritance claims stem from his grandmother, Sajida Sultan, who was officially recognized as a legal heir after a trial court decision in 2000.

What the High Court Said

The 2000 trial court verdict had recognized Saif, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan as legitimate heirs. That ruling was challenged by other descendants of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, citing Muslim Personal Law for inheritance rights and arguing that the classification under the Enemy Property Act took precedence.

The High Court’s latest ruling does not question the family lineage but upholds the government’s legal authority under the Enemy Property framework.

What Happens Next

With the court lifting the legal hold and no appeal filed, the Bhopal district administration is expected to begin the formal takeover process of the listed properties. This could alter the historical ownership map of the Bhopal royal estate and set a precedent for how similar properties could be treated going forward.

The case also revives wider questions around the Enemy Property Act, its long-term implications for descendants of Partition-era migrations, and whether family history can override nationality-based legal frameworks.

As of now, Saif Ali Khan and his family have not issued a public statement following the court’s recent ruling.