Flag Staff House and Other Ancestral Assets at Risk as Court Overturns Sajida Sultan’s Inheritance Claim
Published on: July 06, 2025
By: BTNI
Location: Bhopal, India
In a seismic legal blow to Bollywood icon Saif Ali Khan and the Pataudi family, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has declared ancestral properties worth ₹15,000 crore, including Saif’s childhood home, Flag Staff House, as “enemy property” under the Enemy Property Act, 1968. The ruling overturns a 2000 trial court verdict that had recognized Saif’s great-grandmother, Sajida Sultan, as the legal heir to these historic assets, reigniting one of India’s most high-profile royal inheritance disputes.
The properties in question, spread across Bhopal and Raisen, include iconic landmarks such as Flag Staff House in Kohefiza, Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Ahmedabad Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, Four Quarters, New Quarters, Fars Khana, and agricultural lands in Chiklod. These assets, once part of the princely state of Bhopal under Nawab Hamidullah Khan, Saif’s maternal great-grandfather, have been at the center of a decades-long legal battle.
The court’s decision on July 4, 2025, led by Justice Sanjay Dwivedi, has set aside the earlier verdict, citing its reliance on an outdated Allahabad High Court precedent and failure to account for the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling that personal properties of royals must follow personal succession laws, not political inheritance.
The controversy stems from the migration of Nawab Hamidullah Khan’s eldest daughter, Abida Sultan, to Pakistan in 1950, which led to the government classifying the Pataudi family’s properties as “enemy property” in a 2014 notice by the Custodian of Enemy Property Department. While Sajida Sultan, Abida’s sister and Saif’s great-grandmother, remained in India and married Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the government’s claim hinges on Abida’s migration, despite Sajida being recognized as the legal heir in 1962 under the Bhopal Merger Agreement. The 2016 Enemy Property Ordinance further complicated matters by stating that heirs have no rights over such properties, intensifying the legal quagmire.
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Saif Ali Khan, along with his mother Sharmila Tagore and sisters Soha and Saba Ali Khan, had challenged the 2014 classification, securing a temporary stay in 2015. However, on December 13, 2024, the High Court lifted this stay and rejected Saif’s plea, giving the family 30 days to appeal to the appellate authority. With no appeal filed within the deadline, the Bhopal district administration is now poised to initiate the takeover process, potentially bringing these historic properties under government control.
The ruling has sparked widespread debate, with posts on X reflecting public sentiment: “Saif losing Pataudi legacy is heartbreaking,” one user wrote, garnering 200,000 engagements. Legal experts, like advocate Anil Malhotra, argue the decision upholds the intent of the Enemy Property Act, which affects 2.1 million properties nationwide, per the Ministry of Home Affairs. Meanwhile, Saif’s team is reportedly considering an appeal to the Supreme Court to salvage the family’s legacy.
The Pataudi family’s loss extends beyond monetary value, touching the emotional and cultural heritage tied to properties like Flag Staff House, where Saif spent his childhood. The case also raises broader questions about the implications of the Enemy Property Act on post-Partition royal families, with 1.5 lakh residents in the affected areas now facing uncertainty over potential evictions as the Bhopal collector plans to review 72 years of ownership records.
As Saif Ali Khan navigates this legal storm, he continues his professional journey, recently starring in Netflix’s Jewel Thief and preparing for Race 4 and Haiwaan with Akshay Kumar. Yet, the battle for his family’s storied legacy remains a poignant chapter in the Pataudi dynasty’s history, where tradition, law, and Partition-era policies collide.
