A London court on Wednesday ruled that Nizam’s £35 million money which is lying in a UK Bank from the past seven decades will be given to the Government of India, Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan’s grandsons Mukarram Jah and Muffkham Jah.
Descendants of the Nizam, Najaf Ali Khan claimed that he and the other 116 heirs of the late seventh Nizam are also the heirs and are entitled to the money. Khan has challenged October 2, 2019’s order passed by Royal Courts of Justice in London by Justice Marcus Smith and had sought the reopening of the case.
October 2, 2019 ruling was in favour of India and eighth Nizam of Hyderabad and his brother after they have finally reached to a confidential settlement over a seven years-long dispute over the Nizam funds between Nizam of Hyderbad and Pakistan which belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad at the time of partition in 1947.
Following the judgment, descendants of the Nizam, Najaf Ali Khan has challenged the ruling on behalf of 116 other heirs of late seventh Nizam and accused the administrator of Nizam VII estate of “breach of trust”.
Claimant Khan who is remotely appearing from India expressed his disapproval over entitling the funds to India and two Hyderbad princes. He appeared in London court through Skype without any lawyer and claimed the chronic financial hardships he has been facing.
“The administrator has wrongly allotted funds to India. Me and 116 heirs of Nizam are directly affected. The administrator kept us in the dark the whole time. He told us our claim will be done after the money comes to him. We trusted the administrator to look after our best interest yet he failed. We live to full-time mouth and could not afford a full-time lawyer, and cannot pursue any further claim due to our chronic financial hardship,” said Khan.
He further added, “He had no idea what was the logic and method the administrator of the estate applied to do the confidential agreement between India and the princes.”
While Justice Marcus Smith has ruled in favor of India and dismissed the application by stating, “Chris Lintott, the administrator appointed to represent the estate of Nizam VII, didn’t give any argument to suggest there was any alternative to either India or the princes being entitled to the monies that were in court. I’ve already decided that India and the princes are entitled to the fund. Neither India nor the princes were claiming as inheritors of the estate,” he said, explaining India was claiming by virtue of the 1965 assignment and the princes by virtue of the 1963 trust. The fact is the monies have already been paid out. There can be no basis upon which an order I make after trial can be reopened by me.”
High Commission of India has confirmed the receival of its share in the 35 million pounds in February 2020.
High Court ruling brought an end to a seven-decade long dispute running since 1940 and stated, “Pakistan’s contentions of non-justiciability by reason of the foreign act of state doctrine and non-enforceability on grounds of illegality both fail.”
The dispute was based on 1,007,940 pounds and nine shillings transferred in 1948 from Nizam of Hyderbad to the high commissioner in Britain of the newly-formed state of Pakistan by Nawab Moin Nawaz Zung, then finance minister of the princely state. The amount grew to £35 million (Rs 332 crores).
