Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Builders and property dealers have questioned the validity of the Union Government’s 2015 order that declared the ancestral properties of the Saif Ali Khan family in Bhopal as ‘enemy property.’
They cited a 1961 Gazette notification by the Government of India, which declared Sajida Sultan as the legal heir of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal. They also cited a February 2000 Bhopal court order recognizing Sajida Sultan, grandmother of Saif, as the legal heir of Hamidullah Khan.
According to them, Princess Abida Sultan, the eldest daughter of Hamidullah Khan, migrated to Pakistan in 1950 and thus she did not inherit any property in India. In 2015, the Union Government took control of these properties, declaring them as ‘enemy property.’
The government order was challenged in the High Court and the court had put a stay on it. Atiq, of Regal Builders, stated, “Abida Sultan, the elder daughter of Hamidullah Khan, migrated to Pakistan in 1950. The Government of India declared the Nawab’s younger daughter, Sajida Sultan, as his legal heir. Therefore, Abida Sultan did not inherit any property from her father in India.”
The controversy stems from the Competent Authority of Enemy Property’s (CEPI) 2015 declaration that Nawab’s properties were ‘enemy property’ as Princess Abida Sultan had migrated to Pakistan in 1950, Atiq explained. Ali Khan, a colonizer, also questioned the order saying that it is strange that when Bhopal district court has already recognised Sajida sultan as legal heir and the same has been declared through notification, how can government declare it ‘enemy property’.
Advocate Jagdish Chhawani, who handled the legal affairs of the Pataudi properties, stated that the Bhopal district court had recognized Sajida Sultan as the legal heir of Hamidullah Khan. However, the court order was challenged in the High Court, and the petition is still pending. He further stated that Sajida Sultan was declared the legal heir to Hamidullah Khan’s properties by the government of India in 1961 through a Gazette notification.
However, controversy erupted after the Union Government wrested control of these properties in 2015. The order was challenged in the High Court, which recently vacated its stay order, instructing Saif Ali Khan to approach the Directorate of Enemy Property in New Delhi.
Are shops at Chowk Bazaar enemy property?
Ghar Bachao Samiti has written to the Directorate of Enemy Property, New Delhi, seeking clarification on the status of ‘enemy property’ in Old Bhopal. The committee deputy convener Advocate Jagdish Chhavani in the letter stated that there is confusion regarding the ‘enemy property’ in Old Bhopal area as no such list is available in public domain, neither published nor on the directorate’s website.
The committee sought clarification on the status of shops at Jama Masjid and Langarkhana. Referring to the issue of Chowk Bazaar, the letter pointed out that Auqaf-e-Shahi management is pressuring traders for rent. It further stated that the management and the traders belong to different communities, often leading to confrontation. If Chowk Bazaar falls under the purview of enemy property, there should be a clear directive to address the issue as it is hampering business operations, the letter stated.
