Bhopal
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Erstwhile princely family
Extent of royal properties/ 2016
Jamal Ayub, Saifeena son in line to inherit Rs 5,000cr assets, Dec 21, 2016: The Times of India
Social media `hashtag' replaced the traditional five-gun salute from the top of Bhopal's Fatehgarh Fort in welcoming a new prince -Taimur Ali Khan, the newborn son of Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan.
Taimur is next in line to become the custodian of royal properties of the erstwhile Bhopal State. Saif 's grandmother Sajida Sultan was accepted as Begum of Bhopal by the Centre in 1961 after the demise of Nawab Hamidullah Khan. Sajida married Nawab Iftekhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi in 1939.
Taimur could one day be the custodian of royal properties that now cost around Rs 5,000 crore, including some 1,000 acres in the state capital where stands the Flag Staff House, once a part of Ahmedabad Palace.
“In the last couple of years, the Pataudi family has kept a low profile in Bhopal. We could well see young Taimur in the lawns of the palace soon,“ said a family insider. The Pataudi family is also the custodian of the Auqaf-e-Shahi (royal waqf properties), an Rs 1,000-crore worth of princely endowments and properties.
As of 2025
January 24, 2025: The Times of India
Where Does Saif Fit In?
The properties in question were bequeathed by Saif’s great-grandfather and the last Nawab of Bhopal, Hamidullah Khan. A verification process spanning nine years identified 94 out of 131 such assets as “enemy property”. This was revealed in a response by CEPI to an RTI query.
The issue originates in the move by Abida Sultan, the heir to the Bhopal estate, to relocate to Pakistan three years after Partition. That led to the transfer of the last Nawab’s properties to Sajida Sultan. Sajida was married to the Nawab of Pataudi, Iftikhar Ali Khan. Their son, Mansur Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi Jr, was Saif’s father.
The Centre took control of these properties in 2015 after a three-year investigation by CEPI. But that decision was challenged in court. There is a high court stay on the matter. In his argument before MP high court, the family’s lawyer argued that Sajida Sultan was declared legal heir to Hamidullah Khan by Indian govt in 1961 through a gazette notication. The 2015 CEPI letter also cited the takeover of properties belonging to Abida Sultan.
How Much Are The Properties Worth?
The RTI reply valued the cumulative 113.6 acres of immovable assets at Rs 1,796 crore. CEPI provided details of the assessment barely three weeks after MP high court instructed Saif and his mother, actor Sharmila Tagore, to approach home ministry’s appellate authority for information regarding the assets vested as ‘enemy property’. The Pataudis didn’t have any legal representation at the Dec 13 hearing. Unconfirmed reports suggest that CEPI has given the state govt a list of 133 properties, covering 1,600 acres, to investigate. It includes palaces, prime real estate and various farms across MP’s Bhopal, Sehore and Raisen districts. The district administration and revenue department officials refused to comment on the matter.
Curfew Mata Mandir
1982-2020
March 29, 2020: The Times of India
Curfew Mata Mandir shuts its gates, but hears prayers
Bhopal:
The idol of “Curfew Mata” was established [in 1982] in Peer Gate area during a month-long curfew following riots, hence the name. It was open even during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, but is now shut for the first time in memory, reports Amarjeet Singh.
In times of [the 2020] corona curfew, Bhopal’s “Curfew Wali Mata Mandir” continues to provide succour though its gates stay locked. People stop by for a few seconds, keeping one eye open for the cops posted in the vicinity, murmur a prayer and hurry on.
2020: The temple is locked but there’s no stopping the devout. On Sunday, the usual crowd of devotees was replaced by half a dozen policemen, tasked with enforcing curfew in letter and spirit — and with a stick, if need be.
People drove or pedalled by, closing eyes in reverence and sending up a silent prayer, before hurrying on lest the cops begin “enforcing”. But here, the cops are lenient, too. Who would stop a prayer in these times?
Those who paused a while longer got a gentle reminder from police to “leave it to Mata and move on”. One of the cops said there is a steady trickle of devotees, but they all pray for a few seconds and move on.
