Saif Ali Khan, the Indian actor, may face the seizure of Pataudi family properties worth an estimated Rs 15,000 crore under the Enemy Property Act, 1968, as per Indian media reports.
In a significant ruling, the Madhya Pradesh High Court recently lifted a stay order – put back in 2015 – on these properties, which include Saif’s childhood home, Flag Staff House, the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, the Bungalow of Habibi, Ahmedabad Palace, and Kohefiza Property, among others.
The Enemy Property Act permits the government to take control of assets belonging to individuals who migrated to Pakistan post-Partition.
The government is citing Saif’s family’s ties to the Nawab of Bhopal, Hamidullah Khan, whose daughter migrated to Pakistan, as the reason for this action, despite Saif’s direct lineage tracing back to the other daughter who remained in India.
In previous interviews, Saif has spoken about his desire to reclaim the Pataudi Palace, which was leased to a hotel chain by his late father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Saif clarified that he never had to buy back the property as he already owned it and currently uses the palace as a summer home and occasionally leases it for film productions.
His sister, Soha Ali Khan, shared more details about the palace’s history in a recent interview, revealing that the palace was built by her grandfather, the Nawab of Pataudi, to impress his future father-in-law, the Nawab of Bhopal.
Soha humorously recounted how the palace’s construction was halted midway due to the lack of funds, leaving some areas with simple cement floors under carpets, rather than marble.
In the same interview, Soha shared that their mother, Sharmila Tagore, is responsible for managing the finances of the Pataudi estate, overseeing everything from daily expenditures to maintenance. She added that the charm of the palace lies more in its architecture than in the possessions inside.
Source: The Indian Express
