High Court declares Saif Ali Khan’s Rs 15k crore Pataudi assets as enemy property
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Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who inherits the erstwhile royal Pataudi family properties in Madhya Pradesh, may lose the family assets worth an estimated Rs 15,000 crore after the High Court lifted a stay, which had been imposed in 2015, on the possession of the properties by the government under the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
Among the properties affected by the ruling are Saif’s childhood home, Flag Staff House, the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, Bungalow of Habibi, Ahmedabad Palace, and Kohefiza Property.
The Enemy Property Act grants the government the authority to take control of properties linked to individuals who migrated to Pakistan following the Partition of India in 1947. The Pataudi family's claim to the properties has come under scrutiny due to the migration of one of the Nawab of Bhopal's daughters to Pakistan, despite Saif’s lineage tracing back to the daughter who remained in India.
The government’s decision to move forward with the takeover is based on this link to a migrant relative, a stance that has sparked concerns about the future of the family’s assets.
Saif Ali Khan, the grandson of the woman who stayed in India, has previously expressed his desire to reclaim the family’s Pataudi Palace, which was leased to a hotel chain by his late father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
He has emphasized that he owns the palace, and contrary to popular reports, he did not need to buy it back. He noted that the arrangement was a fair financial one and that his family had always been comfortable with the situation, despite some misconceptions surrounding the property's lease, The Indian Express reported.
The Pataudi Palace, located in Haryana, is now used by Saif as a summer home, and he frequently leases it out for film shoots. His sister, Soha Ali Khan, recently provided additional context about the palace’s history, explaining that it was built by their grandfather, the Nawab of Pataudi, to impress his father-in-law, the Nawab of Bhopal.
The palace’s construction began in 1935, but due to financial constraints, it was not completed as originally planned. This left parts of the palace, including carpets, with marble floors underneath some and simple cement floors in other areas, reflecting the unfinished nature of the grand structure, TIE report claimed.
Soha also revealed that her mother, Sharmila Tagore, manages the family's finances, ensuring that expenditures are closely monitored. She noted that the Pataudi Palace is not constantly repainted due to cost considerations, and the family has refrained from purchasing new items for the house, opting instead to focus on the historic architecture.