A big setback has come for Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and his family. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected the petition of the Pataudi family in which they had challenged the declaration of their ancestral property as ‘enemy property’. After this decision, now the government can take possession of this property worth Rs 15,000 crore anytime.
What is this whole matter?
This dispute started in the year 2014 when under the Enemy Property Act, the Custodian of Enemy Property Department of the government declared the property of the Pataudi family in Bhopal as ‘enemy property’. This means that the property is considered to be of the person who has decided to leave India and settle in Pakistan or China.
Saif Ali Khan had challenged this decision in the court in 2015 and he got a stay order at that time. But in December 2024, the High Court removed this stay and the Pataudi family was given time to appeal to the Appellate Tribunal within 30 days. Now this 30-day period is over and the family has not made any claim, so the government can take possession of this property at any time.
What is the Enemy Property Act?
This law was made in 1950, but it was strictly implemented after the Indo-Pak war in 1965. Under this, the properties of those people were confiscated who decided to settle in Pakistan or China while living in India. The property of the Pataudi family is also considered to be in this category.
Not only is the matter of enemy property, but there is also a dispute related to inheritance on it. Earlier, the court had ruled in favour of Saif’s grandmother Sajida Sultan on the property of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, but now several other heirs have demanded a share on the basis of Muslim Personal Law. The court will now review the old decision again.
What is going to happen next?
If the government takes possession of this property, it can bring a big change in the inheritance and property structure of the Pataudi family. For Saif Ali Khan, who is the son of Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, this will not only be a legal but also an emotional blow, as this property has been the identity of the royal family of Bhopal.
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