The coronation of Mir Mohammed Azmat Ali Khan, known as Azmet Jah, as the successor to Hyderabad’s eighth titular Nizam Mukarram Jah, has been disputed by the latter’s cousin, Nawab Najaf Ali Khan. Najaf Ali Khan, the grandson of the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, questioned Azmet Jah’s self-proclaimed status as the ninth head of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. He asserted that the declaration, signed by two individuals not part of the Nizam Family, was issued to mislead the public and the government.
Azmet Jah, a photographer and filmmaker who has worked with renowned Hollywood directors, assumed the role of successor following his father’s passing in Turkey on January 14, 2023. Mukarram Jah was laid to rest at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on January 19 with state honors.
Najaf Ali Khan questioned how Azmet Jah, a man who had not resided in Hyderabad and had not been acquainted with Asaf Jahi traditions or rituals, could be considered the head of the Asaf Jah dynasty. He argued that a “decree” can only be pronounced by a court, government authority, or the head of a state, and such a self-proclamation is not legally valid, especially after the abolishment of Titles and Privy Purses in 1971.
Najaf Ali Khan further alleged that three days after his grandfather’s passing on February 24, 1967, Mukarram Jah obtained and presented a certificate allowing him to seize all the private properties, movable and immovable wealth held by the seventh Nizam. This, according to Najaf Ali Khan, led to the ultimate destruction of the family, as it enabled Mukarram Jah to smuggle countless national and familial artifacts out of India, selling and profiting from them.
In 2021, Najaf Ali Khan challenged Mukarram Jah’s claim of being the sole owner of five properties, including famous palaces belonging to the last ruler of erstwhile Hyderabad state, in a city court. He dismissed as “totally baseless” and “erroneous” Mukarram Jah’s claim to be the sole owner of Falaknuma Palace, King Kothi Palace/Nazri Bagh, Chowmahalla Palace, Purani Haveli in Hyderabad, and Harewood Cedars Bungalow at Uddagamandalam (Ooty) in Tamil Nadu.
Najaf Ali Khan maintained that, following the death of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the listed properties should have devolved upon his 16 sons and 18 daughters.
