Big blow to Saif Ali Khan: MP High Court reopens Rs 15,000 cr royal property case after 24 years

In a major development affecting actor Saif Ali Khan and his family, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has set aside a two-decade-old trial court ruling that had upheld their claim over properties valued at around Rs 15,000 crore. The court has ordered a retrial in the long-running dispute over royal assets once owned by the erstwhile rulers of Bhopal.

In an order passed on June 30, Justice Sanjay Dwivedi of the Madhya Pradesh High Court said: "The matters are remanded back to the trial court for deciding it afresh. And if so required, the trial court can allow the parties to lead further evidence in view of the subsequent development and changed legal position."

The case pertains to the inheritance of properties once owned by Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. His daughter Sajida Begum married Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and later became Nawab Begum of Bhopal. Their son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was the father of Saif Ali Khan. Following Sajida’s death, Mansoor and later his children — Saif, Soha and Saba — along with Sharmila Tagore, were recognised as inheritors of the estate.

However, two appeals filed by Begum Suraiya Rashid and others, and Nawab Mehr Taj Sajida Sultan and others — also descendants of Nawab Hamidullah — challenged the trial court's February 2000 order which had dismissed their claims over what they called an "unfair partition".

Their counsels argued that the distribution of property should have followed Muslim Personal Law and included all heirs — not just the Pataudi family. They also questioned the validity of a 1962 succession certificate issued by the Government of India, which named Sajida Begum as the sole successor.

Justice Dwivedi noted: "I am of the opinion that the trial court, without considering other aspects of the matter, had dismissed the suits, that too relying upon the judgment which has already been overruled by the Supreme Court. Thus, in my opinion, the impugned judgment and decree deserve to be and are hereby set aside."

The court further directed the trial court to "make all possible efforts to conclude and decide it expeditiously, preferably within a period of one year."

The case dates back to the princely state's merger with India in 1949, which included an agreement recognising Nawab Hamidullah's rights to personal property and succession. The fresh trial will now re-examine whether these rights were fairly applied and whether the 2000 ruling holds under current legal scrutiny.