Will Saif Ali Khan cite the stabbing incident to appeal against the government order on the Pataudi family’s properties worth Rs 15,000 crore? Details here

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan cited the recent stabbing of a resident of Badra to seek adjournment of the Pataudi family’s appeal against the government order against their ancestral property, according to experts.

Advocate Jagdish Chavani told news agency PTI that if Saif Ali Khan’s family has not yet filed an appeal, they may approach the authorities and seek an extension citing external circumstances such as the attack on Saif. On January 16, 54-year-old actor Bhadra was stabbed in a raid at his residence.

He suffered multiple injuries in the attack and underwent emergency surgery. Five days after the attack, he was discharged from Lilavati Hospital on Tuesday. Chavani said that until this confusion, the fate of those who own and hold these properties as tenants is uncertain.

Properties of the former rulers of Bhopal, valued at Rs 15,000 crore and inherited by actor Saif Ali Khan and his family, are in a state where they could be seized by the Centre.

This follows the orders of the Office of the Custodian of Enemy Property, which comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Abida Sultan Begum, the eldest daughter of Nawab Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, migrated to Pakistan after partition, so the properties were declared ‘enemy property’.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has given an option to appeal till December 13, 2024 against the order, which could keep the properties out of state control.

Saif Ali Khan’s family, including his mother Sharmila Tagore, had challenged the order of the Custodian of Enemy Properties in 2015, saying that the assets should have been transferred to second daughter Sajida Sultan Begum, who remained in India.

The case has been in court since 2015, and the recent guidelines suggest that the family can file a representation within 30 days to challenge the order.

The Enemy Property Act, enacted after the 1965 India-Pakistan war, It was strengthened in 2017 to protect the inheritance of such assets by legal heirs even if they are citizens of India. Critics argue that this violates property rights, while supporters see it as necessary for national security.

The Act ensures that properties designated as enemy property remain with the Enemy Property Custodian of India. Similar cases, like that of Mahmudabad Raja, were controversial, with court decisions initially favoring the heirs but later overturned by legislative amendments.

The assets, whether movable or immovable, are auctioned or sold, the proceeds of which go to the Consolidated Fund of India. The Enemy Property (Amendment and Verification) Act, 2017 strengthened government control over these properties, denying inheritance claims.