Explained: Why Saif Ali Khan just lost Rs150 billion ancestral property

Dubai: In a dramatic twist rooted in the legacy of Partition and princely India, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan—descendant of the royal Pataudi and Bhopal families—has lost claim to ancestral properties worth Rs150 billion.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently ruled that these properties fall under the ambit of ‘Enemy Property’, dealing a major legal and emotional blow to one of India’s most prominent royal-turned-celebrity families.

This decision overturns a 1999 ruling and raises important questions about inheritance laws, post-Partition land ownership, and what it means to belong to a royal family in modern India.

‘Enemy Property’ refers to assets left behind by people who migrated to Pakistan or China after Partition (1947) or later conflicts, and took citizenship there. These properties are governed by the Enemy Property Act, which allows the Indian government to seize and manage them, barring descendants from making legal claims.

Saif’s great-grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was the last ruling Begum of Bhopal. Her brother migrated to Pakistan after Partition and became a Pakistani citizen. This connection, despite Sajida herself staying in India, has now led the court to classify their shared ancestral properties as "enemy property."

The ruling overturns a 1999 judgment that had previously recognised Sajida Sultan’s right to the properties.

The properties in question—spanning across Madhya Pradesh and other regions—are reportedly worth Rs150 billion. While exact locations and assets haven't been fully detailed, they include landholdings and estates inherited from the princely states of Bhopal and Pataudi.

The Pataudi Palace in Haryana is often the focal point of curiosity. Saif has refuted claims that he had to “buy it back” from a hotel group. In an earlier interview, he said the palace was never sold—it was leased to Neemrana Hotels by his father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and later reclaimed by the family after his father’s death in 2011.

“It’s impossible to put a value to it in monetary terms. Emotionally, it’s priceless,” Saif once said, calling reports that the palace is worth a whole lot massively exaggerated.

The ruling means that these ancestral properties are now under the control of the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, a government body. Saif and his family have no legal claim over them unless they challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

This case underscores how the consequences of Partition-era migrations continue to ripple through generations, especially for former royal families. It also brings renewed attention to the Enemy Property Act, and how citizenship choices made over 75 years ago still affect inheritance and identity in India today.