Madhya Pradesh high court has lifted the 2015 stay on the Pataudi family’s historical properties, worth an estimated ₹15,000 crore, bringing them closer to potential government acquisition under the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
These properties, linked to Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s family, include prominent sites such as Flag Staff House, where Khan spent his childhood, along with Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, and others, NDTV reported.
While delivering the order, Justice Vivek Agarwal said that a statutory remedy exists under the amended Enemy Property Act, 2017, and directed the concerned parties to file a representation within 30 days.
What is Enemy Property Act?
The Enemy Property Act permits the central government to seize properties owned by people who migrated to Pakistan after partition.
Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal, had three daughters. His eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, moved to Pakistan in 1950. The second daughter, Sajida Sultan, remained in India, married Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, and became the rightful heir.
Saif Ali Khan, the grandson of Sajida Sultan, inherited a portion of the properties. However, the government focused on Abida Sultan’s migration, using it as the basis for claiming the properties as “enemy property.”
In 2019, the court acknowledged Sajida Sultan as the rightful heir, but the latest ruling has reignited the family’s property conflict.
What does the government takeover mean?
Kaushalendra Vikram Singh, the Bhopal collector, announced plans to review the ownership records of these properties from the past 72 years. He said that people living on these lands might be considered tenants under the state’s leasing laws.
This potential government takeover has caused concern among 1.5 lakh residents, many of whom fear eviction as the authorities proceed with surveys to clarify ownership.
“The stay has been lifted, but merging these properties under the Enemy Property Act is complicated. The Pataudi family still has a chance to appeal,” the report quoted Sumer Khan, a resident as saying.