New Delhi – The Supreme Court on Friday granted an interim stay on a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that had directed a retrial in the long-standing legal battle over the royal estate of Bhopal, a dispute involving the family of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, news agency PTI reported.
The estate in question belonged to Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. A bench comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul Chandurkar issued notices on a special leave petition filed by Omar Faruq Ali and Raashid Ali, descendants of the Nawab’s elder brother. The petition challenges the High Court’s ruling dated June 30, which remanded the matter to a trial court for fresh adjudication.
The origins of the dispute trace back to 1999, when members of the Nawab’s extended family—including the late Begum Suraiya Rashid and her children—initiated legal proceedings seeking partition and possession of the erstwhile royal estate.
In 2000, a trial court ruled in favour of Sajida Sultan, the Nawab’s daughter, and her legal heirs, which include Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (former India cricket captain), his wife Sharmila Tagore, and their children Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, and Saba Sultan. The ruling held that succession was governed not by Muslim Personal Law but by constitutional provisions, specifically Article 366(22), which recognized Sajida Sultan as the legal heir to the Nawab’s estate.
This decision drew heavily on a 1997 Allahabad High Court judgment, which was subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court in 2019. The Madhya Pradesh High Court, citing the 2019 verdict, set aside the trial court’s decision but instead of applying the updated legal interpretation, it ordered a retrial—sparking fresh legal contestation.
Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Senior Advocate Devadutt Kamat argued that the High Court’s remand order violated established procedural norms under the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), calling it “erroneous and unwarranted,” according to the PTI report.
By issuing the interim stay, the apex court has temporarily halted further proceedings in the lower court and agreed to examine the matter in detail—thus extending the decades-long legal wrangle over one of India’s most prominent princely estates.
Following the Nawab’s death in 1960, the Government of India recognized Sajida Sultan as the rightful successor via a formal certificate issued in 1962 under Article 366(22). The plaintiffs, however, have consistently argued that the estate, being personal property, should be distributed among all legal heirs in accordance with Muslim Personal Law.
The respondents, including the Pataudi family, maintain that the rule of primogeniture—a customary succession law among royals—applies in this case, thereby legitimizing Sajida Sultan’s sole inheritance of both the Gaddi (royal title) and the estate.
With the Supreme Court now poised to revisit the issue, the protracted battle over the Bhopal royal legacy remains far from resolution.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.