Saif Ali Khan's disputed property (Social media)
Entertainment News: Saif Ali Khan, popularly known as the "Nawab of Bollywood," now finds himself facing a serious question about his real-life royal identity. This time, it’s not about a film role or a public appearance but about a staggering ₹15,000 crore ancestral property—a legacy entangled in complex legal disputes.
Spread across the historically significant city of Bhopal, this grand property was once the proud symbol of his ancestors’ rule. But now, the recent verdict by the Madhya Pradesh High Court has reopened the decades-old battle over its rightful ownership.
In a 2000 ruling, a trial court had declared Saif Ali Khan, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and sister Soha Ali Khan as the legitimate heirs of the Bhopal royal estate. However, that decision has now been overturned by the High Court, which has ordered a fresh hearing in the matter.
The court stated that the issue isn’t merely about inheritance within a family but must also consider the Enemy Property Act and the implications of religious succession laws.
Saif's great-grandfather, Hamidullah Khan, was the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. Among his three daughters, Sajida Sultan—Saif’s grandmother—remained in India. However, her sister Abida Sultan migrated to Pakistan after the Partition, where she took Pakistani citizenship.
This move became a legal turning point. In 2014, the Government of India issued a notice stating that the royal estate could be classified as ‘enemy property’ under the Enemy Property Act of 1968, since one of the legal heirs had acquired Pakistani citizenship.
Following the 2014 notice, Saif Ali Khan had obtained a stay order from the court. But on 13 December 2024, the Madhya Pradesh High Court lifted that stay and gave him a deadline to reassert his claim.
That deadline has now expired, and no new legal claim has been filed by Saif or his family. This has shifted the legal position significantly, casting doubt on their continued rights to the property.
Meanwhile, other heirs of the Nawab have petitioned the court to resolve the matter under the Muslim Personal Law of 1937, which could alter the course of the entire case.
This is no longer just a matter of ancestral wealth. It has turned into a defining question: Will Saif Ali Khan, who portrays kings and nobles on screen, be able to retain his real-life Nawab title, or is that legacy slipping away for good?
The legal crisis surrounding Bhopal’s royal inheritance has now reached a pivotal moment. The year ahead will determine whether Saif Ali Khan remains a legitimate heir to this historic estate—or whether a new chapter in history will be written without his name.
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