Family feud over Nizam’s money resurfaces; police complaint filed

Naveen S Garewal 

Tribune News Service 

Hyderabad, November 18 

The family feud between the kin of the last Nizam of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad refuses to die down. In the latest incident, a grandson of the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur has filed a complaint with Hyderabad Police against relatives alleging that they submitted false and fabricated documents before a British Court to claim huge sums of money. 

Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, a grandson of the seventh Nizam complained to the Hyderabad Commissioner of Police saying false documents, including affidavits, were filed by his relatives to claim British Pounds 35 million belonging to the former ruler and currently lying in a bank in Britain.  

It may be recalled that in October 2019, a UK court had ruled in favour of Nizam’s legal heirs and India in a 70-year-old legal dispute, dismissing Pakistan’s claim over the funds. The funds are lying in a London bank. 

In a press statement issued by Najaf Ali Khan, he said an invalid Certificate of Succession was submitted in the UK court in the Nizam’s fund case. Mukarram Jah and three other family members had “fraudulently” used the certificate in order to cause wrongful gain to themselves and resulting in loss to rest of the legal heirs of the late Nizam of Hyderabad, Najaf Ali Khan alleged. 

“This certificate dated February 27, 1967, was issued to Mukarram Jah by the Union Government as sole successor to the Nizam VII. We informed the Commissioner that after the 26th amendment to the Constitution in 1971 by the insertion of Article 363A, this certificate had become null and void and hence ultra-vires to the Constitution,” Najaf Ali Khan said. 

It may be recalled that the Nizam’s descendants, Prince Mukarram Jah, the titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad and his younger brother Prince Muffakham Jah had joined hands with the Indian government in the legal battle against Pakistan government over around 35 million British Pound sterling lying with National Westminster Bank in London.  

In his complaint, Nawab Najaf Ali Khan sought registration of a case against Mukarram Jah, his ex-wife Esra Birgen Jah, also the holder of his General Power of Attorney (GPA), his son Azmath Jah and his brother Prince Muffakham Jah.