Delhi, 22 January (H.S.): The Madhya Pradesh high court has lifted the 2015 stay on the Pataudi family’s historical properties, worth an estimated ₹15,000 crore, bringing them closer to potential government acquisition under the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
Justice Vivek Agarwal stated that a statutory remedy exists under the amended Enemy Property Act, 2017, and directed concerned parties to file a representation within 30 days. The Enemy Property Act allows the central government to seize properties owned by people who migrated to Pakistan after partition.
The Pataudi family, who had three daughters, had three daughters, with the last Nawab of Bhopal having three daughters. The government focused on Abida Sultan’s migration as the basis for claiming the properties as “enemy property.”
The court acknowledged Sajida Sultan as the rightful heir in 2019, but the latest ruling has reignited the family’s property conflict. Bhopal collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh plans to review ownership records of the properties, and residents fear eviction as authorities proceed with surveys to clarify ownership.
Hindusthan Samachar
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