By Sulagna Halder
Bhopal, 5 July 2025:
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and the Pataudi family have suffered a major legal blow when the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared that their ancestral Bhopal properties, which are estimated to be worth ₹15,000 crore, are "enemy property" under the 1968 Enemy Property Act.
The court reversed a trial court's 2000 decision that acknowledged Saif's great grandmother, Sajida Sultan, as the legitimate heir, lifting a long standing stay from 2015. Saif's childhood home, the famous Flag Staff House, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, the Bungalow of Habibi, Ahmedabad Palace, and the Kohefiza Property are among the contested estates. In a decision rendered by Justice Vivek Agarwal on December 13, 2024, the High Court instructed the family to challenge the declaration by going to the appellate authority within 30 days.
The migration of Saif's great grand aunt, Abida Sultan, to Pakistan in 1950, is at the center of the conflict. The court determined that property associated with Abida could still be considered enemy property even though Sajida Sultan had retained his Indian citizenship. This idea was strengthened in 2017 when the Enemy Property Act was amended to deprive heirs of their inheritance rights. Now that Saif and his family have missed the 30 day appeal deadline, the government can take possession of the properties.
Records going back 72 years are being audited by officials as part of the acquisition preparations started by the Bhopal district administration. The estimated 1.5 lakh local residents are eagerly awaiting word on whether their leases will be upheld or if official housing policies will consider them tenants.
Saif still has the option to seek redress from the appellate tribunal, according to legal experts. The High Court has made it clear, though, that it will only reevaluate the case based on its merits and not on procedural delays. This ruling highlights ongoing tensions between historical inheritance claims and laws that bar heirs from properties linked to people who moved to countries that were deemed hostile. It also marks a turning point in the long running feud over one of India's wealthiest royal estates.
