Saif Ali Khan to Loose ₹15,000-Crore Bhopal Palace After Court Ruling?
July-5, 2025: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has suffered a major legal blow in the long-standing dispute over the ₹15,000-crore ancestral property of the erstwhile Bhopal royal family. In a recent judgment, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has set aside a 2000 decree that upheld the inheritance claims of Saif and his family, directing a fresh trial in the case that has dragged on for over two decades.
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The properties in question were inherited from Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruler of Bhopal, by his daughter Sajida Begum, who married Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. Their son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, better known as Tiger Pataudi, later passed on the wealth to his children: Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, and Saba Ali Khan.
Despite an official certificate issued in 1962 by the Government of India naming Sajida Begum as the sole successor to the Nawab’s private estate, the inheritance has been under dispute. Several heirs of Nawab Hamidullah, including Begum Suraiya Rashid and Nawab Mehr Taj Sajida Sultan, have challenged the partition, alleging it was unfair and contrary to Muslim Personal Law.
Their original suit was dismissed by a Bhopal district court in 2000 — a ruling that has now been overturned by Justice Sanjay Dwivedi of the MP High Court.
The judge pointed out that the trial court relied on a precedent that has since been overruled by the Supreme Court. In his order, he stated:
“The trial court, without considering other aspects of the matter, dismissed the suits, relying upon a judgment overruled by the Supreme Court. Thus, the impugned judgment and decree are hereby set aside.”
The High Court has remanded the matter to the trial court for a comprehensive re-hearing, directing it to conclude proceedings within a year. The court has also allowed parties to present fresh evidence if necessary, given the “subsequent developments and changed legal positions.”
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“Since the suits were initially filed in 1999, the trial court shall make all possible efforts to decide it expeditiously, preferably within a year,” Justice Dwivedi said.
The judgment also noted that while the princely state of Bhopal merged with the Indian Union in 1949, the succession of the Gaddi and ownership of private property were protected under special clauses of the Bhopal Succession to the Throne Act, 1947.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s marriage to Sharmila Tagore and their children’s entry into public life — especially Saif’s Bollywood career — have long kept public attention on the vast legacy of the Pataudi-Bhopal royal lineage. The palace and associated assets are not just symbols of heritage but also a massive fortune, making the ongoing legal battle one of the biggest inheritance cases in India.
Saif Ali Khan, Bhopal property dispute, Pataudi family, Sharmila Tagore, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Madhya Pradesh High Court, Nawab of Bhopal, royal inheritance India, Soha Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan, Muslim Personal Law
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