On Friday, August 8, 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued an interim stay on a Madhya Pradesh High Court order dated June 30, 2025, concerning a decades-old inheritance dispute over the ₹15,000 crore private property of Bhopal’s last Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, linked to Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and his family. The High Court had remanded the case back to a lower court for reconsideration.Case Background:Property in Dispute: The dispute involves the private estate of Nawab Hamidullah Khan of Bhopal, valued at over ₹15,000 crore, including palaces, land, and jewelry.

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Nawab’s Heirs: Hamidullah Khan had three daughters—Abida Sultan, Sajida Sultan, and Rabia Sultan. Abida Sultan migrated to Pakistan in 1950. Sajida Sultan married Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, and their son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (former Indian cricket team captain), married Sharmila Tagore. Their children are Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, and Saba Ali Khan.

1962 Government Certification: After the Nawab’s death in 1960, the Government of India, in 1962, recognized Sajida Sultan as the sole heir to the estate and ruler of Bhopal under Article 366(22) of the Constitution.

Dispute: Descendants of the Nawab’s brother, Obaidullah Khan (Omar Farooq Ali and Rashid Ali), along with other family members, filed a suit in 1999 seeking partition, possession, and lawful distribution of the estate under Muslim Personal Law. Saif’s family argued that the estate belonged to Sajida Sultan under the rule of primogeniture (where the eldest child inherits the entire estate).

Legal History:2000 Ruling: In 2000, the Bhopal District Court declared Sajida Sultan, her son Mansoor Ali Khan, and his heirs—Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Saba Sultan, and Sharmila Tagore—as the sole inheritors of the estate, based on a 1997 Allahabad High Court ruling. However, this was set aside by the Supreme Court in 2019 in the Talat Fatima Hasan vs. Syed Murtaza Ali Khan case.

Madhya Pradesh High Court Order (June 30, 2025): Justice Sanjay Dwivedi of the Madhya Pradesh High Court set aside the 2000 ruling and directed that the estate be partitioned under Muslim Personal Law. Instead of deciding the partition, the court remanded the case to the lower court for a fresh decision within one year.

Enemy Property Dispute: Some reports indicate that the estate was designated as “enemy property” under the Enemy Property Act due to Abida Sultan’s migration to Pakistan. Saif challenged this designation, but in January 2025, the High Court directed him to approach the appellate authority.also read: Actress Shwetha Menon booked over alleged obscene content in films!

Supreme Court’s Recent Order:On August 8, 2025, a two-judge bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar heard a petition by Omar Farooq Ali and Rashid Ali (descendants of the Nawab’s brother) challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s June 30 order, arguing it violated Order XLI, Rules 23-25 of the Civil Procedure Code (CPC).

Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat argued that the High Court’s order was flawed, as no party had sought additional evidence or a retrial. The 2019 Supreme Court ruling in Talat Fatima Hasan clarified that private property must be divided under personal law, yet the High Court remanded the case without applying this precedent.

The Supreme Court issued an interim stay on the High Court’s order and directed Sharmila Tagore, Saif, Soha, and other respondents to file their responses within four weeks. The case is scheduled for hearing in the second week of September 2025.also read: "Protein Myths vs. Facts: How Much Do You Really Need?"

Current Status:The Supreme Court’s stay provides temporary relief to Saif Ali Khan and his family by halting the retrial process. However, the final decision on the estate’s partition remains pending.

The High Court’s order had prohibited creating third-party rights (e.g., transfer, sale, or lease) until the case is resolved, maintaining the status quo of the estate.