A Hyderabad court on Thursday dismissed the interlocutory application of Azmet Jah and Shekhar Jah in a case for partition of the palaces belonging to the Seventh Nizam Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan.
The City Civil Court allowed the partition case filed by Mir Osman Ali Khan’s grandson, Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, to go to full trial.
Azmet Jah and Shekar Jah are the son and daughter of Prince Mukarram Jah, alias Nawab Mir Barkat Ali Khan, the titular Eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, who passed away in 2023.
They sought orders to reject the partition suit filed by Najaf Ali Khan, one of the grandsons of the Seventh Nizam.
His counsel argued that the plaintiff, being one of the rightful heirs of the Seventh Nizam, is in constructive possession of the ancestral properties, and that issues relating to possession, ownership, and valuation can only be determined through a detailed trial on the merits.
The suit filed by Najaf Ali Khan seeks partition and separate possession of five of the most prominent and historical palaces of the Seventh Nizam, which include Falaknuma Palace, Chowmahalla Palace, Purani Haveli, King Kothi Palace, and Harewood & Cedars Bungalow situated in Ooty, Tamil Nadu, all valued at more than 10,000 crores.
The suit involves 232 defendants, including Indian Hotels Company Private Limited, which runs Taj Falaknuma Palace, a seven-star hotel.
Najaf Ali Khan maintains that the properties and heritage of the Seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan belong collectively to all legitimate heirs, not to any one individual.
He had filed the suit in 2021, questioning the sole authority and enjoyment of the said properties by Prince Mukarram Jah.
After the passing away of the Seventh Nizam on February 24, 1967, Prince Mukarram Jah was recognised as successor to his grandfather by the Government of India.
Najaf Ali Khan argues that the private properties of the Seventh Nizam are to be divided among all his legal heirs as per the Islamic Shariat Law, and as such, his 34 children are entitled to inherit the “Matruka.”
