Nizam of Hyderabad
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A backgrounder
January 20, 2023: The Times of India
WHO ARE THE ASAF JAHS?
Originally, the subedars or governors of the Mughal empire looking after the princely Hyderabad state, they established their identity as the Mughal rulers became weak. The Asaf Jahs trace their lineage to the first Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr.
WHAT DOES ASAF JAH MEAN?
Asaf Jah is a title bestowed upon Mir Qamaruddin Khan (1671-1748) after he was made the governor of Deccan. Asaf Jah means the modern day Asaph the wise, who was associated with the kingdoms of David (Hazrat Dawood) and Solomon (Hazrat Sulaiman).
WHAT DOES NIZAM MEAN?
Nizam is the short for the title Nizam-ul-Mulk or the administrator of the dominion. Hyderabad had in fact 10 Nizams – the first being Mir Qamaruddin Khan (1724-1748) and the last Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam.
WHO IS SUCCESSOR OF MUKARRAM JAH?
Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam VII, had bypassed his eldest son Azam Jah to crown grandson Mukarram Jah. He was coronated as the “ruler of Hyderabad” on April 6, 1967 after being recognised as such by the government of India. He held the title till the abolition of the privy purses in 1971. Since then he has been a commoner, though unofficially known as the Nizam VIII or the last Nizam of Hyderabad.
WHO IS MUKARRAM JAH, THE TITULAR NIZAM VIII? ‘’'
His eldest son Azmat Jah will succeed Mukarram Jah. However, he will not get the official title of the Nizam IX. Though he may be coronated as the successor of Mukarram Jah by his family to look after the Nizam trusts and palaces, he will not be recognised by the Central government as the Nizam IX. The last member of the Asaf Jah family to be recognised by the Centre was Mukarram Jah, for titular purposes and payment of privy purse of `20 lakh a year.
HOW MANY CHILDREN DID MIR OSMAN ALI KHAN HAVE?
Mir Osman Ali Khan, who ruled Hyderabad state from 1911 to 1948, had 16 sons and 18 daughters. None of them survive now. His eldest son was Azam Jah, the prince of Hyderabad and Berar.
Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, 1886-1967
A brief biography
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September 4, 2018: India Today
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From: September 4, 2018: India Today
Relics worth crores were stolen from Hyderabad's Nizam Museum recently. Described as priceless by historians, these artefacts belonged to the seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan Bahadur. Khan played a major role in the development of today's Hyderabad and was also known as the Architect of Modern Hyderabad.
Here's all you need to know about the last Nizam of Hyderabad:
Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, who was born on April 6, 1886, was the last Nizam of the Princely State of Hyderabad and Berar. Khan died on February 24, 1967. Mir Osman Ali Khan ruled Hyderabad from 1911 to 1948 before it was taken over by India.
The last Nizam of Hyderabad
Osman Ali Khan Bahadur was given the title of His Exalted Highness, Nizam of Hyderabad.
Osman Ali Khan was also known as the Architect of Modern Hyderabad due to his involvement in the making of various buildings in Hyderabad. Few examples are Osmania University, Osmania General Hospital and Hyderabad High Court. Nearly all the public buildings in Hyderabad were built during his reign. Osman Ali Khan Bahadur was on the cover of TIME magazine back in 1937 and was labelled as the richest man in the world. According to TIME reporter, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and gems at the Nizam's palace were stored in USD 3 steel trunks fastened with padlocks.
Osman Ali Khan Bahadur lived at King Kothi Palace, Hyderabad. After the death of his father, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan Bahadur took over the throne. He was just 25 at that time.
During his 37-year-long reign, electricity was introduced, roads and airways were developed along with railway routes in the state. The Nizam made a generous donation of 5,000 kg of gold in 1965 to the National Defence Fund, which remains the biggest contribution till date.
Osman Ali Khan Bahadur was one of only five princes entitled to a 21-gun salute.
Osman Ali Khan introduced many educational reforms during his reign. About 11 per cent of the Nizam's budget was spent on education.
The Nizam gifted a tiara and a necklace to Queen Elizabeth in 1947 as a wedding gift. The Queen still wears the brooches and necklace from this gift and is known as Nizam of Hyderabad necklace.
HEH Osman Ali Khan Bahadur died on February 24, 1967. Khan had willed to be buried in Masjid-e Judi. The location faced King Kothi, his residence in Hyderabad.
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April 7, 2019: Siddharth Rao , Telangana Today
Decades before the IT industry of Hyderabad made it popular, it was one man whose actions towards developing the city and whose wealth put this city on the global map — Mir Osman Ali Khan Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. In 1937, the Time magazine had him on the cover page as the world’s richest man and the fifth richest man in history, with a total wealth of $2 billion at the time. April 6 was his birth anniversary.
Born on April 6, 1886, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur ascended to the throne of the erstwhile Hyderabad State upon the death of his father Mahbub Ali Khan, who was the sixth Nizam. He was one of the five princes under the British Rule, who were entitled to a 21-gun salute, and owing to his support to the British during World War 1, held the title ‘Faithful Ally of the British Crown’. He was also the only ruler of a princely state with the title ‘His Exalted Highness’.
He was known for his benevolence and for being a patron of education, science and development. His emphasis on education is further reinforced by the fact that 11 per cent of the State budget was devoted to education.
This, perhaps, is most evident in the fact that most of the public hospitals, colleges and buildings such as Osmania University, Osmania Hospital, High Court building, Kacheguda Railway Station, Town Hall (Assembly building), Moazzam Jahi Market, and more were built during his reign. It was also during his reign that electricity was introduced and roads and railways were developed in the region.
He is also known for the establishment of the Begumpet Airport in 1930, making it one of the first airports in the country. In addition to this, Deccan Airways, established by the Nizam in 1945, was one of the first airways in the country.
Despite his vast wealth, which was reportedly 2 per cent of the economy of the USA at the time, he is known to have led a fairly simple personal life, as there are several reports that say he restricted his personal spending to £1 a day. Apart from this, Osman Ali Khan was also known to have made huge donations to prominent temples like Yadagirigutta temple, Tirupati temple and the Golden Temple of Amritsar.
After the Indo-Pak partition of 1947, the princely states were given the option of choosing to join either India or Pakistan and it was then that the Nizam refused to join either and instead, wanted his 16 million people and 82,698-square-mile territory to be a separate kingdom within the British Commonwealth. This idea existed till the newly established Indian government sent a division of the Indian Army and a tank brigade in an operation codenamed Operation Polo.
Following Operation Polo, Major General Syed Ahmed El Edroos, the Commander-in-Chief of the Hyderabad State army, formally surrendered to Major General Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri of the Indian army, and Hyderabad State was integrated into the country of India. Subsequently, Mir Osman Ali Khan became the titular Nizam.
“Even after losing the throne, he continued his efforts to serve the people. In 1951, he started the construction of Nizam Orthopedic Hospital and gave it to the government on a 99-year lease on monthly rent of Re.1 and in the same year, he created a trust called The Nizam Charitable Trust with a corpus of Rs 5 crore for the poor irrespective of caste and religion,” says Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, a grandson of the Nizam.
With all his honours and titles, the name of the last Nizam reads as “General His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffar ul-Mamaluk, Nizam ul-Mulk, Nizam ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Sir Osman Ali Khan Siddqi Bahadur, Sipah Salar, Fath Jang, Faithful Ally of the British Government, Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, GCSI, GBE.”
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Julie McCaffrey, April 15, 2008: The Times of India
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From: Julie McCaffrey, April 15, 2008: The Times of India
The last Nizam of Hyderabad was so rich he had a £50m diamond paperweight..
This eccentric Indian ruler was the world's richest man. He had 86 mistresses, 100 illegitimate sons and employed 38 staff to dust palace chandeliers.
Yet the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Sir Osman Ali Khan, also knitted his own socks, wore the same patched clothes for months and cadged cigarettes from his guests.
The crumpled turban that he always wore was in stark contrast to the £50million ostrich-egg sized diamond he used as a paperweight.
He was officially called His Exalted Highness, but was nicknamed His Exhausted Highness because of his complicated lovelife.
The last Nizam was the ruler of India's largest princely state - the size of Scotland and England combined - and was the richest man in the world until he died, aged 80 in 1967. This week, more than 40 years later, India has finally agreed to begin negotiating a settlement between the Nizam's 470 bickering descendants over cash he left in a London bank 60 years ago.
The Muslim ruler had deposited £1million in a high street bank account in 1948 just before his kingdom was taken over by India while he pondered letting his southern state become part of Pakistan.
He kept much of his fortune, but lost most of his power. It was a drop in the ocean for him - his wealth was then estimated at £100m in gold and silver and £400m in jewels. But £1m then has swollen to £30m now.
So as the legal wranglings begin, the legacy of the eccentric Nizam lives on in the stories of his extreme decadence... and eccentric tightfisted frugality.
There was the time he wanted a new blanket to keep him warm and ordered a servant to buy him a new one - with strict orders not to spend more than 25 rupees (32p at today's rates). The aide came back empty-handed because a new blanket cost 35 rupees (45p). So the Nizam made do with his threadbare old blanket. Then there was the time he donated trunkloads of gold coins to the National Defence Fund of India and said to his workers: "I am donating the coins, not the trunks. See that they are returned."
He disciplined himself to live on the equivalent of £1 a day and smoked the cheapest brand of cigarettes, relighting and smoking the discarded butts - he once took a cigarette from an adviser, cut it in half and offered the man half back. Yet he surrounded himself in outrageous sumptuousness. It is said he owned enough pearls to pave Piccadilly Circus in London.
In one of his many palaces he had a wardrobe half a mile long, bulging with exquisite silks, brocades, damasks and fine muslins.
Another palace had a mile-long banqueting hall. In the basement of yet another palace was an underground vault full of run-down trucks and lorries. They were stuffed full of gems, pearls and gold coins.
The Nizam, terrified of a revolution or takeover of his state, made plans to transport his wealth out of the country. But then he grew bored with the idea and left the lorries to rot. In 1955, when he heard that mice had nibbled away £3m of old banknotes stored in trunks in a palace cellar, he shrugged off the loss. But he also had a sensible side. He was taught English, Urdu and Persian and is credited as being the genius architect of modern-day Hyderabad, which is now one of the biggest cities in India.
His rule saw the expansion of roads, railways and the postal system, established universities, hospitals and factories. Yet for all his intelligence and good breeding, he was not above committing the odd faux pas.
When the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII and, after his abdication, the Duke of Windsor visited him in 1922 he wanted to make sure he felt at home. So he arranged for his chamber pot lid to play the National Anthem when it opened. He was also particularly vain, so had a car specially built with an elevated rear seat because he felt he should be seated higher than his subjects.
But women were his real weakness. His collection of beautiful concubines lived happily, it is said, in strict purdah, kept in complete isolation from all men - except the Nizam. Eventually the Nizam's princely title was abolished by the Indian government in 1974. Then crippling new taxes and land acts forced him to sell much of his property.
His obituary described him as a shambling old man who spent his last days wandering around in old slippers - but his funeral procession was one of the largest in Indian history. The Nizam's first grandson and technically the heir to his throne, Mukarram Jam, succeeded him - but he soon found himself immersed in financial chaos.
Mukarram emigrated to Australia and spent much of his inheritance setting up a sheep farm, which failed. In his absence, his grandfather's unsupervised Hyderabad properties were looted and precious artefacts sold in street markets for a few rupees. What was left of the Nizam's phenomenal wealth has been used to pay off debts and maintain the lavish lifestyles of his many descendants.
And so the family's fabulous fortune crumbled.
The House of Lords said the London money could only be released if all involved parties agreed and so only now after years of legal wrangling does Mukarram look set to inherit a 20 per cent share of the fortune that has grown in the vaults of the London bank.
It means he should soon be able to afford a home far more palatial than his small two-bedroom apartment in Istanbul. But the Nizam's five surviving wives, one of whom is a former Miss Turkey, are also set to stake their claims on his remaining cash. India and Pakistan will share the rest of the Nizam's legacy. He was minted yet miserly, and left a family feuding over his fortune.
Perhaps the seventh Nizam is best summed up by a British politician's wife who visited him at his peak. Her description of him was "mad as a coot".
HIS OFFICIAL TITLE (DEEP BREATH..)
His Exalted Highness Rustam-i-Dauran, Arustu-i-Zaman, Wal Mamaluk, Asaf Jah VII, Muzaffarul- Mulk-Wal-Mumilak, Nizam-ul- Mulk, Nizam ud Daula Nawab Mir Sir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, Sipah Saula, Fateh Jung, Nizam of Hyderabad and of Berar, Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Honorable General in the Army, Faithful Ally of the British Government.
HIS JEWEL COLLECTION
The Nizam's 173-piece jewellery collections, which was guarded by eunuchs during his lifetime, had an estimated worth of £2billion - but it was bought by the Indian government in 1995 for the knockdown price of £33m.
The most famous jewel in it is the sparkling Jacob diamond, the size of an ostrich egg that weighs 184.79 carats and is worth £50m. The Nizam wrapped it in newspaper and used it as a paperweight. His collection, displayed in India last year under heavy armed guards, also included a beautiful seven-stringed pearl necklace, known as "satlada".
HIS PERSONAL STAFF
The last Nizam had a total of 14,718 employees when he died. In his main palace alone, there were about 3,000 Arab bodyguards, 28 people paid to fetch drinking water, 38 to dust chandeliers, several specifically to grind walnuts and others whose job was to prepare addictive betel nuts for him to chew.
Property dispute
As in 2020
The historic dispute revolved around 1,007,940 pounds and nine shillings transferred in 1948 from the then Nizam of Hyderabad to the high commissioner in Britain of the then newly-formed state of Pakistan. That amount had since grown in a London bank account into 35 million pounds. The Nizam's descendants, supported by India, claimed it belonged to them and Pakistan counter-claimed that it was rightfully theirs. Last year, the high court dismissed Pakistan's claim and in February, the high commission of India in London finally received the money, ending a 70-year-old legal dispute.
An overview as in 2023
Sudipta Sengupta, Syed Akbar & Robin David, March 14, 2023: The Times of India
From: Sudipta Sengupta, Syed Akbar & Robin David, March 14, 2023: The Times of India
From: Sudipta Sengupta, Syed Akbar & Robin David, March 14, 2023: The Times of India
_and_other_descendants_of_Nizam_I_to_VI_at_a_meeting_in_Hyderabad._Majlis-e-Sahebzadagan_Society_annointed_Raunaq_Yar_Khan_as_the_ninth_Nizam.jpg)
From: Sudipta Sengupta, Syed Akbar & Robin David, March 14, 2023: The Times of India
From: Sudipta Sengupta, Syed Akbar & Robin David, March 14, 2023: The Times of India
Fifty-six years after the death of Mir Osman Ali Khan, Hyderabad’s seventh Nizam who was once said to be the world’s richest man, a fresh war of succession is brewing among the royal descendants. The latest trigger is the death of Mukarram Jah, the last titular Nizam of Hyderabad, on January 14 this year.
While a quiet ceremony held days later at the Chowmahalla Palace pronounced Azmet Jah, the London-based eldest son of Mukarram Jah, as the next head of family, the event led to serious heartburn in other camps — the Sahebzadas (descendants of the sixth and earlier Nizams) and the descendants of the seventh Nizam led by Najaf Ali Khan. All three teams claim the royal pie belongs to them.
TOI spoke to multiple representatives from the three groups to unravel this family feud and understand why every group has a different ‘leader’ and what’s the wealth they are staking claim to.
Team Azmet Jah
As the eldest son of Mukarram Jah, supporters say Azmet Jah is the only person fit to be crowned his successor. And as the next head of family, all rights to properties and valuables accumulated by the Nizam — either by way of inheritance or gifts — are bound to be passed on to the 62-year-old.
Nobody else, be it the other grandsons of the seventh Nizam or relatives, has any right to these riches. While there is no exact account of the wealth, Azmet Jah, by virtue of his position, has control over four heritage palaces in the Hyderabad — Falaknuma, Chowmahalla, Narzi Bagh (also called King Kothi palace) and Purani Haveli — spread over 50 acres within the city and each crammed with art and artefacts of very high antique value.
Then, there’s a host of trusts set up by Osman Ali Khan (they had a total corpus of Rs 40-50 crore in 1950) and a couple of properties in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The Nizam’s family also controls exclusive waqf properties through the Nizam Auqaf Trust that run into several thousand crores.
With members of the other camps claiming equal right to some of these properties, Azmet Jah’s well-wishers recently issued a caution notice asking the public to beware of such people who were positioning themselves as “direct descendants of the Asaf Jahi dynasty” for “personal gains”.
“During his regime, the seventh Nizam had set up multiple trusts for charitable works and welfare of family members. A trust was set up specifically for the benefit of the extended family as well. So, while the members have a right to that trust, they have no right to anything else,” says a member of the Azmet Jah camp.
Majlis-e-Sahebzadagan Society
By their own estimate, the society members number around 4,500 — all descendants of the sixth Nizam, Mahboob Ali Khan, and his predecessors. They are objecting to Azmet Jah’s crowning, alleging misuse of funds and the lack of interest shown by him in taking care of the family. In retaliation, this group has put forth their own leader, Raunaq Yar Khan, who was even crowned the ninth Nizam at a ceremony in Moghalpura, a neighbourhood in Hyderabad, on March 2.
While the seventh Nizam had set up the Sahebzadas of Sarf-e-Khas Trust (it had an initial corpus of Rs 2. 5 crore) exclusively for them, it barely serves them anymore. Each member today gets a paltry sum (in some cases just Rs 20 a month) as the trust’s corpus was not managed properly and the number of claimants has increased manifold over the years. They are now fighting to revive the trust along with a share in all properties — some located in Mumbai and Mahabaleshwar as well.
“There was also a miscellaneous trust with Rs 9 crore that was set up for the family. Even that’s dried up,” says a representative of the group, accusing Azmet Jah and team of failing to replenish these trusts so that family members can earn a basic living. “Right now, some Sahebzada members get money only once in three months,” he adds.
Splinter group
Some members from the Sahebzadagan Society have split to support Azmet Jah. The group has formed its own society with Mir Hashmat Ali Khan as its president. It has also announced that Azmet Jah has agreed to donate Rs 5 crore to the trust to increase the monthly pensions of members. Hashmat Ali says they have requested him to sanction Rs 20 crore and allot land for a residential colony for descendants of the first nine Nizams.
Team Najaf Ali Khan
Led by him, this group approximately comprises 195 members scattered all over the world and who claim to be direct descendants of the seventh Nizam. Their contention with Azmet Jah’s elevation is also rooted in the lack of involvement that he has had with the affairs of the family so far.
“He has never been around and not cared about the family. How can he suddenly turn up and pronounce himself as the head of the family with rights over all the property and money?” asks a member of the group that has even filed a partition suit in a Hyderabad civil court. They have been claiming a stake in the four palaces and the case is pending in court. They have also demanded a share in the Hyderabad Fund (Rs 325 crore) that was settled in favour of the Government of India, and the seventh Nizam’s grandsons Mukarram Jah and Muffakham Jah.
Some of these 4,500 Nizam descendants get paid Rs 4 to Rs 150 a month
Imagine having the world’s richest man in your family tree, but all you get is the bitter fruit of penury. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, was rumoured to have used a 185-carat diamond — the Jacob’s Diamond — as a paperweight. In 1937, he was on the cover of the Time magazine for being the world’s richest man with an estimated wealth of billions of dollars.
Today, however, one branch of the Nizam’s family — the descendants of the first to the sixth Nizam — have none of the airs of a rich heir. They live in Hyderabad doing odd jobs and running small businesses. The famed wealth of the Nizam seems to them like an old, faded photograph where they can barely make out the smudged contours of a glorious past.
Per the last count, there are about 4,500 Sahebzadas, as they are called, brought together under one roof — the Majlis-e-Sahebzadagan Society. They have small, faded ID cards endorsing their membership to this nearly bankrupt trust which pays them a cash dole of anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 4 every month.
The society members recently met in the Old City of Hyderabad, had some biryani carrying the rich fragrance of saffron, and appointed one of the descendants of the family, Mir Raunaq Yar Khan, as their Nizam. The only sign of old grandeur under the shamiana that day was the long line of the dark maroon Rumi Topi, or cap, that many of them had put on, just like Mir Osman Ali Khan did.
In the Hyderabad of old, the cap signalled aristocracy. Today, however, many of the Sahebzadas struggle to hide their hard life despite their lineage.
Meet Mir Sajid Ali Khan, dressed in a simple shirt and pants, and hiding his left hand in his trouser pocket as it has been paralysed. For the most part, he had made a living as a car mechanic, but about 15 years ago, a car crashed on him while he was repairing it, leaving one side of his body paralysed. The 40-year-old has three children and feeds his family by doing odd jobs. “I get Rs 18 every month from the trust as a ‘salary’,” he says. “How can one live on that money?”
Mir Sayeed-ud-Din Khan, in his mid-60s, has a son working in ‘Saudia’. As a result, he doesn’t need to work for a living. Also, he doesn’t need to come to the trust and pick up his Rs 133-per-month allowance. “You can’t get two decent lukhmis for breakfast with that money,” he says. You expect him to laugh, but he doesn’t, preferring to give a stiff, expressionless look. For those not initiated into Hyderabadi cuisine, lukhmi is a variation of the samosa, a flat square filled with mincemeat.
And then there is Fatima Barkat-un-Nisa, who once worked as a schoolteacher but stopped because of health issues. “To come to the Old City just to get my monthly allowance of Rs 20. 25 is no longer feasible,” she says. “I can’t afford the Rs 500 one-way taxi ride to come to the office. Although, we visit the office once a year just to establish that we are alive.”
She says there are Sahebzadas who make a living as auto drivers or as a domestic help in other people’s homes, but they would prefer not to be identified. “There are many members who need the small amounts the trust gives out,” she says. “That is how desperate they are.”
There is talk among the descendants of Mir Osman Ali Khan leaving crores in two trusts – the amount ranges from about Rs 2 crore to Rs 9 crore, which would have been a princely sum in the 1950s. Today, they are left with empty coffers. The members are hoping they will be identified as legal heirs of the last Nizam and regain some of the lost glory, even if it is reflected glory.
R S S’ view of the Nizam
2022
Syed Akbar, March 29, 2022: The Times of India
Hyderabad: In a rare rendezvous, senior R S S leader and Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) patron Dr Indresh Kumar shared the dais on Monday with a grandson of Nizam VII and described the last ruler of princely Hyderabad as a visionary who set up reputed educational institutions to promote knowledge and build character. The meeting was a departure from earlier attempts by BJP, particularly during elections, to project the Nizam as a villain.
This is perhaps the first time in recent memory that a senior R S S leader has met the kin of the Nizam and praised the former ruler for his vision on modern education and a secular Hyderabad. The Nizam’s grandson, Najaf Ali Khan, kept applauding the R S S leader while the latter talked about developments in Hyderabad during the Nizam’s rule.
“The Nizam had a secular outlook, which made Hyderabad a city of communal harmony and religious tolerance,” Dr Kumar said, adding, “Let’s begin a new journey of love and not hatred. If we regularly meet we will be able to erase hatred and spread love. ”
2023: Azmet Jah’s symbolic coronation; previous successions; fortune at stake
Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
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From: Syed Akbar, January 25, 2023: The Times of India
On the night of January 20, a hush-hush coronation ceremony took place – of Mir Mohammad Azmet Ali Khan, popularly known as Azmet Jah, as the successor of Mukarram Jah, the titular Nizam VIII who died in Turkey and was laid to rest in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid this month. Azmet is Mukarram Jah’s son. The ceremony was simple – sources said only a handful of people were in attendance. Most people found out about the coronation only the day after, when the Chowmahalla Palace issued a statement. But while the ceremony to recognise the anointment was low-key, the battle that has already started brewing over the multi-crore fortune is expected to be anything but that. Why Azmet’s formal succession was needed Sixty-two-year-old Azmet will not hold any officially recognised title – which means there will be no Nizam IX. The coronation is symbolic and part of the continuation of the tradition of the Asaf Jah family, which took over the reins of princely Hyderabad state 299 years ago. The main idea is to enable Azmet to legally take control of the properties inherited from his father, who in turn, had inherited them from his grandfather – the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Osman bypassed his eldest son, Azam Jah, who was discredited as a ‘moral pervert’, to declare his grandson as his successor in 1954.
Officially, Mir Osman Ali Khan had ceased to be the ruler of princely Hyderabad on January 25, 1950 after he accepted the Indian Constitution. The next day – January 26, 1950 – he assumed charge as Raj Pramukh or governor of Hyderabad. In June 1954, the Nizam VII requested the central government to recognise Mukarram as his successor. A decade later (1964), Mukarram was recognised as successor of the Asaf Jahi dynasty.
Following the death of his grandfather on February 24, 1967, Mukarram was recognised as the "ruler of Hyderabad" by the central government. He was officially coronated as the Nizam VIII of Hyderabad on April 6, 1967, and held the title till November 1971 when the central government abolished the privy purse and royal titles. But he continued as the titular Nizam and many still refer to him as the last Nizam of Hyderabad.
Mukarram anointed Azmet as his successor. The statement by Chowmahalla palace said, “In terms of the desire and the decree made by Nawab Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Bahadur during his lifetime anointing his eldest son Azmet Jah as his successor in title and to accede his father as the IX head of the Asaf Jahi dynasty for all symbolic, ceremonial, titular and ancillary purposes, following the customs and tradition of the Asaf Jahi dynasty in existence for 299 years, a simple ceremony with prayers was held at 8.30pm [on January 20].”
The royal fortune
When a multi-crore fortune is at stake, it's no surprise a row erupts. Apart from heading some of the Nizam’s trusts, Azmet will take control of the famed Falaknuma Palace, the magnificent Chowmahalla Palace, the flamboyant Chiran Palace, the crumbling King Kothi, besides the Purani Haveli.
Azmet will also inherit the fortune that belonged to Nizam VII – the richest man in the world during his time – that passed on to his father. This includes a collection of priceless jewels, some of which were bought by the government of India.
Not just that, there are innumerable priceless antiques of Falaknuma and Chowmahalla palaces, as well as a bejewelled sword belonging to Abdul Mejid II, last Caliph of the Ottoman empire (Mukarram’s maternal grandfather).
There is also the Hyderabad Fund, which involved the transfer of one million pounds to the account of the high commissioner of Pakistan in the UK before the Police Action in 1948. The money grew to £35mn (approximately Rs 325 crore) when the case was settled by the London court in 2020. Some Rs 4 crore was allotted to other family members. The remaining amount was shared among Mukarram, his brother Muffakham and the Government of India in a secretly kept ratio.
The battle begins
Barely a day had passed after Azmet's coronation, when a member of the erstwhile royal family alleged that the succession certificate of Mukarram issued in 1967 was not valid.
Najaf Ali Khan, another grandson of Nizam VII, said that within a year of Mukarram’s coronation in 1967, the succession certificate issued by the central government had been quashed by the Andhra Pradesh high court in January 1968. [The case pertained to Ahmadunnisa Begum alias Shahzadi Begum vs Union of India.]
Najaf Ali now claims the properties of Nizam VII belonged to all the descendants, not just to Mukarram or his successor, Azmet.
“My grandfather Nizam VII passed away on February 24, 1967. Not even three days had passed since his death, when on February 27, 1967, Mukarram Jah obtained and presented a certificate that allowed him to take control and seize all private properties, movable and immovable wealth held by Nizam VII,” Najaf Ali said.
According to Najaf Ali, the high court order stated, “We hold the Government of India has no power or jurisdiction whether under Article 362 or otherwise to issue the certificate recognising the 2nd respondent as sole successor to all private properties moveable and immoveable held by the late Nizam or to authorise transfer of private properties to the second respondent. Accordingly, we allow the writ petition with costs and quash the certificate dated 27. 2. 1967 issued to the Nizam, the 2nd respondent relating to the successor to private property of the late Nizam”
He added that when Mukarram challenged the 1968 judgment in the Supreme Court, he requested the Union of India to become a party towards his support of the succession certificate. The Union of India refused to help him.
“It is imperative to note that twice in 1968 and 1971 [abolition of privy purse and royal titles], the title held by Mukarram Jah was quashed and abolished by competent government authorities, thus rendering his title as Nizam VIII null and void,” Najaf Ali said.
How then can Azmet hold, succeed and use this title on the basis of his father, Najaf Ali asked.
The secret coronation of Azmet also invited criticism from members of the extended royal family. Mohammed Moizuddin Khan, general secretary of Majlis-e-Sahebzadagan Society, which looks after the welfare of the descendants of Nizam I to VI, said the coronation should have been an open affair. “This is so disrespectful to the whole Asaf Jah family. They claim the succession of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and they don't even know the family members. They don't even stay in Hyderabad,” he said adding that the successor must look after the welfare of all Asaf Jahi descendants.
And these descendants run into thousands. The seventh Nizam had 16 sons and 18 daughters. In all, Nizam VII has some 200 descendants. If you count the earlier Nizams – Nizams I to VI – then there are about 5,000 descendants! Separate trusts are being operated that pay pension to these descendants.
Palace intrigue, fear of plunder set pace for Mukarram’s ascension In 1964, the Andhra Pradesh government was eager for a quick succession to Nizam VII as it feared any delay by the Centre in naming the successor could trigger the loot of uncountable wealth in case of the sudden death of the erstwhile ruler.
Documents available with National Archives of India (NAI) reveal the Andhra government was also worried about the “strange crowd” and “dark intrigues” in King Kothi palace [official residence of the Nizam] as also the “undesirable characters” in Hyderabad. It was the state government’s pressure that hastened the Centre’s hand to declare Mukarram Jah as successor to the Nizam VII.
The inspector-general of police, Andhra Pradesh, sent a letter to the Centre expressing fears that Mir Osman Ali Khan’s eldest son, Azam Jah, may stake claim in event of the Nizam’s sudden death. He wanted the Centre’s intervention before an attempt to gain possession of King Kothi. The Nizam had bypassed Azam Jah and declared Mukarram Jah as his successor in 1954, but the Centre sat on the request for 10 years.
“The Nizam’s relatives, his officers and others in the palace constitute a strange crowd. In fact, the inspector-general of Andhra Pradesh police’s report indicates some kind of a medieval king’s palace with its dark intrigues,” the Union home ministry wrote in a note to Nehru’s cabinet in March 1964. It added “if this suddenly gets known in the city of Hyderabad that the Nizam has passed away, there is likely to be a commotion in the palace with various people trying to get possession of different pieces of property and secreting them. ”
According to NAI documents, the Andhra government suggested arrangements after the Nizam’s demise would be simpler if the government of India came to a decision on the succession.
The last Nizam’s successor
Azmet Jah, born on July 23, 1960, in London, is the son of Mukarram Jah and first wife Princess Esra. He works as a filmmaker, professional photographer and cinematographer. He attended school in London, studied still photography in New York and received his degree in cinematography from California. He has collaborated with filmmaker Steven Spielberg and Richard Attenborough. He currently lives in California. Wife Naz is Turkish and they have a son Murad.
See also
Nizam of Hyderabad
