Saif Ali Khan’s Inherited Property Declared ‘Enemy Property’, Risk of Losing ₹15,000 Crore Estate

Properties include Flag Staff House, Noor-us-Sabah Palace, Dar-us-Salam, Habibi’s Bungalow, Ahmedabad Palace, Kohifiza Property, and others – Photo: File

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has upheld the Indian government’s decision to declare Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s ancestral property as Enemy Property, raising the possibility that he may lose inheritance worth ₹15,000 crore (INR).

In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property issued a notice declaring the Pataudi family’s properties in Bhopal as enemy assets, announcing their seizure.

A year later, Saif Ali Khan challenged the notice and obtained a stay order from the court. However, now the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled in favor of the government, confirming the enemy property status of the family’s Bhopal-based inheritance.

The disputed properties include:

• Flag Staff House, where Saif Ali Khan spent his childhood
• Noor-us-Sabah Palace
• Dar-us-Salam
• Habibi’s Bungalow
• Ahmedabad Palace
• Kohifiza Property
• and several others

Will Saif Ali Khan Lose ₹15,000 Crore Property?

Following the High Court’s ruling, Saif Ali Khan and his family may be deprived of inheritance worth ₹15,000 crore.

Additionally, the court has referred the matter of inheritance of Nawab Hamidullah Khan’s properties to the trial court, ordering it to decide whether only Sajida Sultan and her descendants have legal rights or if other heirs are entitled under Muslim personal law. The trial court has been instructed to deliver its decision within one year.

What Is the Enemy Property Act?

The Enemy Property Act empowers the Indian central government to claim ownership of properties belonging to individuals who migrated to Pakistan after Partition.

Family Background

Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal, had three daughters. His eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, migrated to Pakistan in 1950. His second daughter, Sajida Sultan, stayed in India, married Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, and became the legal heir to the Bhopal properties.

Through this lineage, Saif Ali Khan, Sajida Sultan’s grandson, inherited these properties.

According to media reports, the situation took a new turn when the Indian government used Abida Sultan’s migration to Pakistan as the basis to declare the family estate as ‘Enemy Property’.