HYDERABAD: Despite the UK High Court ruling that India and two grandsons of the Nizam VII would receive the Rs 307 crore in the famous Hyderabad Funds Case early in October, the 70-year-old case remains far from being closed.
While the neighbouring Pakistan, who was a major stakeholder in the case, is expected to appeal against the judgement in the country’s Supreme Court, there is also a good possibility of a court case from within the Nizam family. With nearly 200 living descendants of Nizam VII, who in his lifetime fathered 16 sons and 18 daughters, the remaining family members are set to claim their share of the money that was lodged in a London bank for over 70 years.
The two princes
Princes Mukarram Jah and Muffakham Jah, the two sons of Nizam VII’s eldest son Azam Jah, are said to be the most well-off members of the Nizam family today. While the Turkey-based Mukarram Jah was crowned the titular Nizam VIII following his grandfather’s death, his younger brother Muffakham takes care of the Nizam estate and finances and is based out of London. On their mother’s side, the two princes are also related to Abdulmejid II, the last Caliph of the Ottoman Caliphate.
The ‘deprived lot’
However, it is the rest of the family who has been monikered as the ‘deprived lot’ by heritage activists and historians. With most of the palatial properties and finances being the responsibility of Muffakham and Mukarram Jah, the other legal heirs are largely dependent on the 54 trusts established by the last Nizam. However, when it comes to other properties of the Nizam, they are forced to fight for their share. Leading this ‘fight’ back in the city is Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, the son of Hasham Jah Bahadur, one of the 16 sons of Nizam VII.
From getting a seat at the VIP table during the Governor’s Iftar parties to being the go-to person for all Nizam-related queries, Najaf Ali Khan has slowly turned himself into a representative of the family. However, it is important to note that many family members have had a problem with this. Najaf is also incidentally the president of the Nizam Family Welfare Association, a committee which has over 120 family members as its signatories.
Right after the judgement in the Hyderabad Funds Case was pronounced, Khan assured that the money would be distributed among all the 120 legal heirs who were part of the agreement between Nizam Estate and the Indian government. He had also vehemently opposed reports that only Mukarram and Muffakham would receive the money. Khan had also reminded everyone that it was he who had revived the issue back in 2008, and the two princes had chosen to join only in 2013, when the case reopened.
Not 120 members but more?
“The first thing one has to realise that it’s not 120 members who will receive the money, but many more,” said Warisunnissa Begum, the daughter of Bhojat Jah, another son of the Nizam VII. Speaking to Express at the 135-year-old Nizam Club, she was joined by her husband Moin Nawab. Moin Nawab is the son of Nizam VII’s daughter Masoodunnissa Begum and Mubashir Khan, the son of the Nizam VII’s youngest daughter Saida ‘Lily Pasha’ Begum.“We are not signatories to the Nizam Family Welfare Association but that does not mean we cannot receive the money,” Begum said indicating a difference in opinion with Najaf Ali Khan regarding such matters. Her opinion was echoed by both Mubashir Khan and Moin Nawab. While Khan and Moin work in real estate, Begum works as a social worker.
United in disdain for the princes
However, whatever the differences between Najaf Ali Khan and a few other family members may be, they seem to be on the same page when it comes to the two princes, Mukarram and Muffakham. “What have these two brothers done for us,” asked Mubashir. Begum and Moin chimed in, “When Mukarram Jah was crowned the eighth Nizam, it meant that he had to take care of the whole Nizam family.”
It is well known that the 86-year-old Mukarram was not interested in the royal life, and squandered a major chunk of the Nizam VII’s riches. Even in the Hyderabad Funds case, the judge Marcus Smith struck out his name as one of the stakeholders in the case stating that Mukarram Jah was ‘not interested in the funds’. Meanwhile, all four family members that Express spoke to have said that a court case is a possibility if the two princes do not agree to share the money.