Saif Ali Khan’s Royal Legacy: Saif Ali Khan’s maternal great-grandfather, Hamidullah Khan, served as the final Nawab of Bhopal. Hamidullah passed down lands worth ₹15,000 crore to his descendants, property that Saif now risks losing. Recently, the Madhya Pradesh High Court overturned a trial court order that had recognized Saif and his immediate family as the rightful owners of these vast assets in and around Bhopal. As a result, Saif Ali Khan, grandson of Iftikhar Ali Khan, the last ruler of the former princely state of Pataudi, is now fighting to hold on to his royal legacy.

The properties in question include palaces, royal bungalows, and other valuable real estate, such as the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace (currently operating as a luxury hotel) and Flagstaff House in Bhopal’s capital. To retain ownership of these estates, Saif must return to court and fight for his family’s claim. The High Court has directed the trial court to rehear the case and deliver a fresh judgment within a year. This legal battle adds to a turbulent year for the actor. In January 2025, an intruder stabbed him during a home invasion, leaving him injured. Now, Saif also faces the government’s challenge over the “enemy property” designation, which could further complicate the fate of his inheritance. With royal roots under threat and court deadlines looming, Saif Ali Khan must fight both legal and personal battles to protect what remains of his princely past.

Yes, Khan, 54, is the great-grandson of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal. His grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was Hamidullah Khan’s second daughter. After the Partition, Hamidullah’s eldest daughter, Abida Sultan Begum, moved to Pakistan (we’ll return to this point shortly). In contrast, Sajida Sultan remained in India, succeeded her father, and inherited his privately owned estates.

In 1962, the Indian government officially recognized her inheritance. According to a statement from the Home Ministry, the government raised no objections to transferring the assets into Sajida Sultan’s name. Later, Sajida Sultan married Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi. Their son, Mansoor Ali Khan, and grandson, Saif Ali Khan, eventually inherited these royal properties.

In 2000, a Madhya Pradesh trial court declared Saif Ali Khan and his family, including his mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan, as the legitimate heirs to the Bhopal assets. However, other descendants of Hamidullah Khan challenged the ruling, claiming that the last Nawab’s wealth should be divided according to Muslim Personal Law.

Last week, the High Court accepted their argument and reopened the succession case. If the trial court reverses its earlier decision, Saif Ali Khan could lose a portion, or even a significant share, of the inheritance passed down from Hamidullah Khan and Sajida Sultan.

A second, potentially more serious threat now looms in the background. In 2014, the Indian government notified Saif Ali Khan that the ₹15,000 crore worth of properties he inherited from the former Bhopal monarch would fall under the Enemy Property Act of 1968.

The government argued that the properties belonged to an ‘enemy’, since Hamidullah Khan’s eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, renounced Indian citizenship by moving to Pakistan. Based on that, officials claimed the right to seize the assets. Saif Ali Khan inherited the Bhopal properties through Sajida Sultan, Hamidullah Khan’s second daughter, who remained in India and became the de facto heir after her sister’s departure.

Who is Sajida Sultan?

In 1962, the government under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru officially recognized Sajida Sultan Begum as the sole successor to all private properties, both movable and immovable, owned by Nawab Hamidullah Khan, and raised no objection to transferring those properties to her. However, Saif Ali Khan later challenged this recognition in court and secured a temporary stay. In December 2024, the High Court dismissed his plea and lifted the stay, giving him and his family 30 days to file an appeal.

The government had previously amended the Enemy Property Act of 1968, applied it retrospectively, and established an appellate authority, the Custodian of Enemy Property in Mumbai, to review all related claims. That authority then overruled the 1962 notification that had named Sajida Sultan as the rightful heir.

Meanwhile, on January 16, an intruder stabbed Saif Ali Khan, and he spent about a week in the hospital. He then underwent surgery and required several weeks to recover, raising doubts about whether he filed the appeal within the court’s deadline.