Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who comes from a royal lineage, is facing the risk of losing a large part of his family’s ₹15,000 crore inheritance in Bhopal. The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently overturned a 2000 trial court order that recognised him and his family as the legal owners of several royal properties.

These include landmarks like Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, now a luxury hotel, Flagstaff House, and several other palaces and bungalows spread across the state.

In its latest ruling, the High Court has asked the lower court to re-examine the ownership case and deliver a new judgment within a year. This means that Saif and his family, mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan, will now have to defend their claim all over again in court.

The earlier 2000 verdict had declared them the rightful heirs of the royal properties once owned by the Nawabs of Bhopal. But this was challenged by other members of the family, who argued that the wealth should be divided based on Muslim Personal Law.

The High Court sided with them and has now reopened the succession dispute.

Saif Ali Khan, 54, is the great-grandson of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal. His grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was the Nawab’s second daughter. After Hamidullah Khan’s eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, moved to Pakistan after Partition, Sajida remained in India and was declared the legal heir by the Indian government in 1962.

The Home Ministry at the time had stated that it had "no objection to such properties being transferred to Sajida Sultan Begum". These were later passed down to her son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and then to his son, Saif.

Apart from the family dispute, Saif is also dealing with a major legal challenge involving the Enemy Property Act of 1968.

In 2014, the Indian government issued a notice stating that the royal properties could be treated as “enemy property” because Abida Sultan, the Nawab’s eldest daughter, was technically the legal heir but had taken Pakistani citizenship.

The government argued that, under the law, these assets could now be seized as they belonged to someone considered an "enemy" of the state.

Although Saif had won a temporary stay on this in court, the High Court lifted that stay in December 2024, allowing the government to move forward.

The court’s decision came after changes were made to the Enemy Property Act, giving full power to the Custodian of Enemy Property in Mumbai to review and decide such matters. This authority overruled the 1962 notice that had earlier accepted Sajida Sultan as the rightful heir.

It is not clear whether Saif has filed an appeal against the latest ruling. The court had given him 30 days to do so. However, the actor faced a personal setback in January this year when he was stabbed during a home invasion. He was hospitalised for nearly a week and needed time to recover from surgery.

As the legal process continues, Saif Ali Khan now faces the challenge of protecting his family’s legacy, both from legal heirs and from government action. The final decision will depend on the outcome of the trial court’s fresh review and any further appeals.

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