Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan is still recuperating from his Mumbai knife wounds, but he still has to deal with the impending government seizure of his family's enormous estates in Madhya Pradesh. According to NDTV, the properties, which are estimated to be worth Rs 15,000 crore, are currently at the heart of a court battle.
A stay on these properties that had been in effect since 2015 has been lifted by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. This ruling might have made it possible for the government to seize them under the 1968 Enemy Property Act, which gives it the authority to seize the belongings of anyone who immigrated to Pakistan after Partition.
Justice Vivek Agarwal said in his ruling that the 2017 Enemy Property Act amendments provide remedies. The Madhya Pradesh High Court instructed the appellate body to consider the appeal without rejecting it on the basis of limitation, and it instructed the parties involved to submit a representation within 30 days. The court decided that the appellate authority would handle the appeal on its own merits and would not refer to the statute of limitations if a representation was submitted within 30 days of today.
Dispute Origin
Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal, is the subject of the debate. He had three daughters. While his second daughter, Sajida Sultan, remained in India and wed Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, his eldest, Abida Sultan, moved to Pakistan in 1950.
Sajida became the properties' legitimate successor.
Saif Ali Khan, Sajida's grandson, inherited a portion of these properties. But the government's argument that these assets are "enemy property" is based on Abida Sultan's migration.
A court acknowledged Sajida Sultan as the legitimate heir in 2019, but the new decision has rekindled the legal battle.
Government actions cause fear
Plans to review the last 72 years' worth of ownership records for these properties were announced by Bhopal Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh. He made a suggestion that under state leasing legislation, those living on these properties might be regarded as tenants.
Nearly 150,000 residents are apprehensive about the impending government takeover, and many of them are afraid of being evicted. Uncertainty is increased by ongoing surveys and ownership verifications.
"The stay has been lifted, but combining these properties under the Enemy Property Act is complicated." "The Pataudi family still has an opportunity to appeal," said Sumer Khan, a local neighbor.
Others expressed worry about their properties. Another resident, Chand Mian, told NDTV, "We pay taxes, but there is no registry for our homes." The Nawab's leases should still be valid." Naseem Khan, who lives in the neighborhood, noted, "The government claims these properties, but many have been sold or leased throughout the years. This situation is far from simple."
