In a significant legal setback, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has lost his long-standing bid to reclaim his ancestral properties in Bhopal, valued at approximately Rs 15,000 crore. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed his plea challenging the government’s decision to designate the sprawling estate as “enemy property” under the Enemy Property Act.
The ruling overturned a 2000 trial court decision that had recognised Saif, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and his sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan as legitimate heirs of the property. The original judgment was challenged by other descendants of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, arguing that inheritance should follow Muslim Personal Law.
The controversy stems from the fact that Saif’s great-grandmother, Abida Sultan—daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan—chose to migrate to Pakistan after Partition and renounced her Indian citizenship. This move prompted the application of the Enemy Property Act, enacted in 1958 and expanded following the 1965 India-Pakistan war, allowing the Indian government to take over properties of those who moved to enemy nations.
In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property officially classified the Bhopal royal family’s assets as enemy property. Saif had contested this classification and secured a temporary stay in 2015. However, the court dismissed his petition on December 13, 2024, and lifted the stay. Though Saif and his family were granted 30 days to appeal to the appellate tribunal, no appeal was filed, effectively clearing the way for the government to proceed with acquiring the property.
The High Court has now directed the trial court to resume proceedings and deliver a verdict within a year, potentially altering the historic inheritance dynamics of the Bhopal royal family.
This decision not only reopens one of India’s most prominent royal inheritance disputes but also reignites national debate on the implications of the Enemy Property Act on the heirs of pre-Partition families. The Bhopal district administration is expected to initiate the takeover process of the estate shortly.