In a setback to actor Saif Ali Khan, recuperating from attack, Madhya Pradesh High Court has asked him to approach the appellate authority against an order of the Central Government that declared historical properties of the Pataudi family in Bhopal, estimated to be worth Rs 15,000 crore, as “enemy property”.

Among the properties in question are the Flag Staff House, where Saif spent his childhood, the luxury hotel Noor-Us-Sabah Palace, Dar-Us-Salam, Bungalow of Habibi, Ahmedabad Palace, and Kohefiza Property.

The court had been hearing Khan’s challenge since 2015. On December 13 last year, after the Government apprised the court that an “appellate authority has been constituted for adjudication of disputes in regard to enemy property”, Justice Vivek Agarwal said the parties could file a representation within 30 days.

In 1947, the princely state of Bhopal was ruled by Nawab Hamidullah Khan. He had three daughters, the eldest of whom, Abida Sultan, migrated to Pakistan in 1950.

The second daughter, Sajida Sultan, stayed in India and married Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, who played cricket for both England and India, and whose son was the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi.

Sajida’s grandson - Tiger Pataudi’s son - Saif Ali Khan inherited a share of the properties in Bhopal. However, the migration of Abida Sultan became the focus of the Government’s claim to the properties as “enemy property”. In 2014, the Custodian of Enemy Property Department declared the Pataudi family’s properties in Bhopal as “enemy property”. Saif Ali Khan challenged the custodian’s notice.

In 2016, an Ordinance was issued explicitly stating that heirs would have no rights over these properties. Enemy property refers to the assets, both movable and immovable, left behind in India by individuals who migrated to countries designated as “enemy nations” during times of conflict. Following the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and the Indian-China War in 1962, the Indian Government assumed control of properties and businesses owned by those who adopted the nationality of Pakistan or China.