Rampur State
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Saba Ali, Royals of the Rampur Dynasty
Armoury
As in 2020
Nazar Abbas, February 5, 2020: The Times of India
From: Nazar Abbas, February 5, 2020: The Times of India
_outside_Khasbagh_palace,_Rampur.jpg)
From: Nazar Abbas, February 5, 2020: The Times of India
RAMPUR: Eight months after the Supreme Court passed judgment for the division of the property among the family members of the erstwhile Rampur Nawab, the locks of armoury were opened on Monday to count the weapons kept in the family’s Khasbagh Palace in the presence of administrative officials and the erstwhile royal family members. Carved vintage guns, gem-studded swords, knives with handles made of precious stones – the armoury, according to collectors, is a minefield of antiquity.
The rare firearms are more than a century old and have been manufactured by renowned names, like Charles Lancaster, Henry Marton, Colt, Manchester, Rifle & Co., Enfield, Holland & Holland, W&C Scott London, HW Marton, CC Smith, RT Martimer, Greener, S & Smith, John Manton London, Thomas Smith, Wellington & Sons.
Local historian Nafees Siddiqui, who has written two books ‘Tariq-e-Rohilla’ and ‘Tariq-e-Rampur’, said, “Rampur Nawabs were extremely fond of their arms. They particularly liked carved weaponry, for which they hired professionals from abroad and made frequent purchases from manufacturing units in Europe and Middle-East. In 1853 and 1855, arms of Rampur were displayed at exhibitions in Calcutta and Lucknow.”
Rashid Khan, a local arms dealer, who has also been appointed by the administrative authorities to inspect and count the weapons of the erstwhile princely state, said, “The armoury is invaluable in terms of antiquity. Muzzle-loading guns, pistols with gold carvings, revolvers, rifles with bayonets and swords forged out of rare metals together make up a collector’s dream.”
District magistrate Aunjaneya Singh said, “Adequate security has been provided at Khasbagh Palace. After evaluation, it will be decided what valuable goes to which family member. Since most of the arms are antique, they might be kept in museums, like in the case of other princely states. But any further decision will depend on the court.”
Royal succession: One of India’s longest running civil suits
The case was one of India’s longest running civil suits, which the SC finally brought to a close after 47 years of trial in July 2019. It was appealed that the private property of a Nawab cannot be treated as the personal property of any other common citizen. Therefore, the property should be passed on to the “eldest male heir” while others should not get any stake in it. The bench rejected the contention and held that the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 will apply and since Nawab Raza Ali Khan was a Shia, his estate will devolve upon his heirs under the Muslim personal law.
The bench of then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose said one thing was clear that the rulers enjoyed right to privy purses, private properties and privileges only because of the Constitution and in other respects "they were ordinary citizens".
Rampur Nawabs were extremely fond of their arms. They particularly liked carved weaponry, for which they hired professionals from abroad and made frequent purchases from Europe, Middle East
It held the princely rule of primogeniture (the right of succession belonging to the firstborn child) will not apply in the succession of the private properties of a former ruler. The bench also ordered that the properties of the erstwhile ruler of Rampur would be divided by metes and bounds (an older system is often used to define larger pieces of property) among his successors as per the Muslim law.
It directed the district Judge of Rampur to appoint a commissioner to ensure division of movable and immovable properties among the successors.
“As the suit has been pending for almost half a century and the parties have been litigating for more than five decades and some of the parties are at an advanced age, we direct the trial court to dispose of the matter in terms of our directions above at the earliest but, in any case, not later than December 31, 2020,” it held.
Rampur: Birth of an empire
Rampur State was a 15 gun-salute princely state of British India. The first stone of the new Fort at Rampur was laid and the city of Rampur founded in 1775 by Nawab Faizullah Khan. A great patron of scholarship, Nawab Faizullah Khan, who ruled for 20 years, began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts which now make up the bulk of the world-famous Rampur Raza Library. In 2016, PM Modi had gifted a specially commissioned reproduction of a rare seventh-century manuscript of the Holy Quran attributed to Hazrat Ali, which is a prized possession of Raza Library, to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Among other prominent rulers of Rampur was Nawab Kalb Ali Khan, who was a member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence and was knighted in Agra by the Prince of Wales. Nawab Raza Ali Khan, who became the king in 1930, was a very progressive ruler. The Rampur Nawabs gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, including Mirza Ghalib. The Nawabs of Rampur sided with the British during Indian Rebellion of 1857 and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and cultural life of Northern India. The Nawabs' patronage to music gave rise to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of Hindustani classical music, the latter being their ancestral place, Sahaswan, in present day Badaun district. Many Mughal cooks moved to Rampur after the fall of Delhi and they helped in development of a distinct Rampuri cuisine, which include Rampuri fish, Rampuri korma, Rampuri mutton kebabs, Doodhiya biryani and adrak ka halwa among other delectables.
What the Supreme Court said
"We have held that they were rulers only as a matter of courtesy, to protect their erstwhile titles, the properties which were declared to be their personal properties had to be treated as their personal properties and could not be treated as properties attached to the Gaddi" "It is apparent that the rulers were rulers only in name. They held no land except the personal properties. There were no subjects. They were Maharajas or Rajas without a Praja; without any sovereignty; and without any territory”
Rampur State in 1908
This section has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Physical aspects
Native State in Rohilkhand, under the political superintendence of the Government of the United Provinces, lying between 28 25' and 29 ro' N. and 78 52' and 79 26" E., with an area of 893 square miles. It resembles a wedge m shape, with the apex pointing south. On the north it is bounded by Nairn Tal District; on the east by Bareilly ; on the south by Budaun , and on the west by Moradabad. Rampur State is a level, fertile tract of country, the Physical northern Portion of which resembles the damp TARAI aspects. tract ty in g far ther north. It is crossed by many small streams, the chief of which are the Kosi and Nahal. The Ramganga, which flows from north-west to south-east across the southern part of the State, ultimately receives all the drainage.
The whole State lies in the area occupied by alluvium, and no rocky or stony formation occurs in any pait
The flora is that of the damp submontane tract. There is not much jungle, except m the north. Bamboos flourish everywhere, and the country is dotted with groves of rnango-trees. There are many groves of ber (Zizyphus Jujubd).
Leopards are not uncommon, and tigers have frequently been killed along the northern frontier. Game is fairly abundant. Hog, antelope, nilgai^ hares, partridges, quail, wild duck, florican, and small sand- grouse are found more or less throughout the territory ; but snipe are scarce. Rampur is celebrated for its breed of hounds, originally introduced from Southern India. They are generally of a grey colour, with a smooth coat, and larger than English greyhounds. An improved variety is now obtained by crossing with English greyhounds, and the animals so bred are easier to train than the pure breed.
Regular meteorological records have been kept for only a few years. The climate resembles that of the neighbouring Districts of BAREILLY, MORADABAD, and the submontane portion of NAINI TAL. The north is very malarious.
History
The early history of the State is that of ROHILKHAND. Two Rohilla brothers, Shah Alam and Husain Khan, came m the latter part of the seventeenth century to seek service under the Mughal emperor. The son of the first of these, Baud Khan, distinguished himself in the Maratha wars and received a grant of land near Budaun. His adopted son, All Muhammad, obtained the title of Nawab and a grant of the greater part of Rohilkhand in 1719. Having offended the Subahdar of Oudh, Safdar Jang, who was jealous of his rapid rise to power, All Muhammad was compelled to surrender all his possessions in 1745 and was kept a close prisoner at Delhi for six months, after which he was released and appointed governor of the Mughal province of Sirhmd, where he remained for a year. But taking advantage of the confusion consequent on the invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani, he regained supremacy over Rohilkhand in 1 748, and eventually obtained a confirmation of this territory from the emperor, Ahmad Shah Bahadur. After the death of All Muhammad his estates were divided among his sons, and \h&jagir of Rampur Kotera fell to Faiz-ullah Khan, the younger son. On the incursion of the Marathas, the Rohilla chiefs applied for aid to the Nawab Wazlr of Oudh. This was granted on promise of a payment of 40 lakhs. The Rohillas, however, failed to fulfil their pecuniary obligations ; and the Nawab Wazir obtained from Warren Hastings the use of a British army, which defeated the Rohillas and brought Rohilkhand under the direct rule of Oudh. An exception, however, was made in the case of Faiz-ullah Khan, who was permitted to retain the estate or jaglr of Rampur on condition of military service. This obligation was afterwards commuted for a cash payment of 15 lakhs. On the death of Faiz-ullah Khan in 1793 dissensions brolce out in the family, the eldest son was murdered, and the estate usurped by a younger son. As it was held under British guarantee, the aid of British troops was given to the Nawab of Oudh in ejecting the usurper and installing Ahmad AH Khan, son of the murdered chieftain.
On the cession of Rohilkhand to the British Government in 1801, the family were confirmed in their possesssions. For his unswerving loyalty during the Mutiny of 1857, Muhammad Yusuf AH Khan, Nawab of Rampur, received a grant of land, then assessed at i 3 lakhs, in addition to other honours and an increase of guns in his salute. He was succeeded in 1864 by his son, Nawab Muhammad Kalb All Khan, G. C.S.I., C.I.E., who, at the Imperial Assemblage at Delhi, received a standard and an addition for life of two guns to his salute, the ordinary salute of the chiefship being 13 guns. Sir Kalb AH Khan died in 1887 and was succeeded by Mushtak AH, who only survived for two years. The present Nawab, Hamid AH Khan Bahadur, was a minor at his accession ; and the affairs of the State were administered by a Council of Regency till 1896, when the Nawab was invested with full pollers. He holds the honoraiy rank of Major m His Majesty's army, and was created G.C.I.E. in 1908.
Population
Rampur contains 6 towns and 1,120 villages. Population mci eased Irom 1872 to 1891, but fell in the next decade owing to unfavourable seasons. The numbers at the four enumerations weie Population. follows: ( r872 ) 507,004, (1881) 541,9*4, (1891) 551,249, and (1901) 533,212. There are five tahslh the HUZUK or head-quarteis, SHAHABAD, MILAK, BILASPUR, and SUAR. The head- quarters of the first are at Rampur city, the capital of the State, and of the others at places which give their names to the taksits. The following table gives the chief statistics of population in 1901 .
Hindus form 55 per cent, of the total and Musalmans 45 per cent. a much higher proportion than in any District of the United Provinces. The density of population is high in the centre of the State, but decieases m the north and south. The Hindustani dialect of Western Hindi is the language in ordinary use.
Among Hindus the most numerous castes are : Chamars (tanners and cultivators)j 40,000 ; Lodhas (cultivators), 34,000 , Kurmis (culti- vators), 25,000, Malls (market-gardeners), 20,000,, Brahmans, 16,000 , and Ahlis (grazieis and cultivators), 14,000. Muhammadans include Pathans or Rohillas, 49,000 ; Turks (cultivators), 33,000 ; Julahas (weavers), 25,000 ; and Shaikhs, 24,000. As is usual in the sub- montane tract, Banjaras (8,000) are fairly numerous. Agriculture supports 61 per cent, of the population, and cotton-weaving 3-5 percent.
Out of 440 native Christians enumerated in 1901, 386 were Metho- dists. There aie no missions in the State.
Agriculture
The north of the State is composed of heavy clay and chiefly pi educes rice. Towards the centre and south a richloanis found, in which a great variety of crops can be grown. The mam agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are given below, in square miles :
Maize is the crop most largely giown, covenng 125 squaie miles,
Wheat (103 squaie miles) and rice (98) are also important staples, and
sugar-cane was grown on 28 square miles. Cultivation is spreading,
but reliable statistics are not available to indicate the variations in the
area under different crops.
The cattle and ponies bred locally are very inferior. Ponies are, however, largely imported by the Banjaras, who use them as pack- animals. Mule-breeding has recently been introduced,
A system of damming small streams to provide water for irrigation had long been in force in the State. It was wasteful and unscientific, and has now been replaced by a regular system of small canals, the chief of which are taken from the Bahalla and Kosi rivers. Masonry dams have been thrown across these two rivers, and others are con- templated. Almost the whole area north of the Ramganga is protected by canals. The area irrigated varies accoidmg to the season from about 50 to 150 square miles.
Trade and communication
The most important industry is the weaving of cotton cloth, which is carried on in many places. A very fine cotton damask, called khes, which is produced at Rampur city, is not surpassed in any part of India. Ornamental pottery 1S also made, consisting ,of a led earthen body overlaid with opaque enamel, which is coloured dark blue or turquoise. Excellent sword-blades and other articles of steel are made, and matchlocks and guns Were formerly turned out Minor industries include sugar-refining and the manufacture of papier-mache and lacquer goods.
The State exports sugar, rice, and hides, and imports piece-goods, metals, and salt. Goats are also imported in large numbers for food. Rampur was once noted for its trade m horses and elephants, but this has declined.
The main line of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway crosses the State from south-east to north-west. No kankar is found, and com- munications by road were defective, but have been much improved. Kankar is now imported and mixed with stone brought from the Bhabar. About 33 miles of metalled roads are maintained in and near Rampur city by the State, and the British Government repairs two metalled roads, one passing from Moradabad to Bareilly and the other towards Naml Tal. There are also 223 miles of unmetalled roads. Avenues -of trees are -kept up on 196 miles.
Famine
Generally speaking the State has suffered little from famine. A severe visitation is recorded in 1813, when corpses were daily seen in the streets. In 1877 famine would have been severely felt, but relief works were opened and alms were freely given to the aged and infirm. In 1896 extensive public works were started, and a large quantity of grain was purchased and sold by the State below market rates.
Administration
The Commissioner of the Bareilly Division is Political Agent to the Lieutenant-Governor of the United Provinces for Rampur. Since the present Nawab was invested with full powers, the Administration.
services of a native official of the United Provinces have been lent to the State This officer is called the Minister, or Maddr-ul-maham^ and various departments are controlled by him sub- ject to the direction of the Nawab. The principal executive officials are the chief secretary, the home secretary, the legal remembrancer, and the Dlwan-i-sadr.
In 1902 a legislative committee was formed, consisting of members of the ruling family, officials, and leading residents in Rampur city. The Minister presides over the committee, and the regulations framed are published for criticism. Codes dealing with rent and revenue law had been issued previously, and the chief measures so fai dealt with by the committee have been concerned with the municipality of Rampur and registration.
Each tahsil is in charge of a tahsildar^ who has jurisdiction in rent, revenue, and civil cases, and is also a magistrate with powers corre- sponding to those of a magistrate of the second class in British territory. Appeals in rent and revenue cases lie to the Nazim, Jurisdiction in civil cases is limited to suits relating to movable property not exceed- ing Rs. 1,000, Suits up to Rs. 10,000 are heard by the Mufti Dlwam or civil court at Rampur. More important cases and appeals in civil suits from the orders of tahsildars and the Mufti Dlwdni are de- cided by the District Judge. There is also a Court of Small Causes at Rampur. Magisterial powers are vested in a bench and in several special magistrates. The Chief Magistrate has powers of imprison- ment up to three years, the Sessions Judge up to five years, the Minister up to ten years, while sentences of life imprisonment or death require the sanction of the Nawab Appeals from the orders of subor- dinate magistrates lie to the court of the Chief Magistrate and then to the Sessions Judge. All cases, whether civil, criminal, or revenue, are further appealable to the Minister, and finally to the Nawab.
The land revenue and total revenue of the State for a series of years is shown below, in thousands of rupees
Apart from land revenue, the chief items in 1903-4 were: interest
on Government promissory notes (6-2 lakhs), cesses (2-4 lakhs), mis-
cellaneous (2-5 lakhs), and irrigation (Rs. 49,000). The expenditure
included : privy purse (4 lakhs), public works (5 lakhs), army (4-6
lakhs), pensions (3-4 lakhs), land administration (r-6 lakhs), and police
(r-6 lakhs).
Property m land is not recognized in the greater part of the State. The rights of landholders in the area ceded by the British after the Mutiny were maintained ; but in the case of 28 villages out of 146, the proprietary right has since been purchased by the State. There is thus no distinction between rent and land revenue, except in the remaining ceded villages. Collections are made through lessees or farmers, who receive leases for ten years or even longer. Leases are sold by auction ; but the improvement of records and the establishment of a settlement department have materially facilitated the fixing of suitable amounts. Lessees are liable to a penalty in case of a decrease in cultivation. The cultivators acquire occupancy rights as in the Province of Agra (see UNITED PROVINCES), but after a period of sixteen years instead of twelve. The minimum term for new tenants has been fixed at five years. A complete survey of the State was made in 1890.
Liquor is made within the State by licensed contractors, to whom the right of manufacture and vend is sold by public auction, the receipts m 1903-4 being Rs. 41,000. Opium is sold to the State by the British Government at cost price up to 14% cwt. annually, and at the rate fixed for sale to licensed vendors in Moradabad District for
VOL. XXI. N any amount in excess of 14% cwt. It is retailed at the rates prevalent m adjacent British Districts, The right to sell hemp drugs is farmed by auction. Charas is imported direct from the Punjab and bhang from the United Provinces. The profit on opium and drugs in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 18,000. Other items of miscellaneous revenue in- cluded chaukldarl cess (Rs. 65,000), stamps (Rs. 41,000), salt and saltpetre (Rs, 15,000), tax on sugar-mills (Rs. 8,000), and registration (Rs 9,000).
The only town under municipal administration is RA.MPUR CITY. The municipal commissioners are elected.
Public works are in charge of a European Chief Engineer, formerly in British service. The chief public buildings are at Rampur city, Substantial offices have been constructed at the tahsil head-quarters, and the roads, bridges, and canals are well maintained.
The State maintains three squadrons of cavalry, of which two squadrons (317 strong) are Imperial Service Lancers. The local forces include 1,900 infantry, and 206 aitillery with 23 guns
The police force is organized on the system in the United Provinces. The Superintendent has an Assistant, and a force of 2 inspectors, 101 subordinate officers, and 409 constables, distributed m 12 police stations and 7 outposts. There are also 149 municipal and road police, and 1,281 village police. In 1904 the jail contained a daily average of 494 prisoners.
The State is backward as regards literacy, and in 1901 only 1-4 per cent, of the population (2-5 males and o-r females) could read and write. During the last few years, however, considerable attention has been devoted to education. The number of schools increased from 10 with 316 pupils in 1880-1 to 104 with 3,741 pupils in 1900-1. By 1903-4 the number of schools had further risen to 128, with 4,424 pupils, of whom 150 were girls, in addition to 20 private schools attended by 850 pupils. A celebrated Arabic college, with 400 students, which is maintained by the State, attracts students from all parts of India and even from Central Asia. The principal school for English education at Rampur city has 332 pupils. There is also an industrial school at Rampur. Of the total number of pupils, only 777 are in secondary classes. The expenditure on education in 1903-4 was Rs. 53,000, of which Rs 18,000 was derived from a special cess.
There are 15 hospitals and dispensaries, with accommodation for 200 in-patients. In 1903-4 the number of cases treated was 186,000, including 951 in-patients, and 3,616 operations were performed. The expenditure, including the cost of sanitation, amounted to Rs, 47,000 Hospitals exist for treatment by both European and indigenous methods
About 11,000 persons were vaccinated in 1903-4, showing a pio- portion of 21 per 1,000 of population. Vaccination is compulsory in Rampur city.
[State Gazetteer, 1883 (under revision); Annual Administration Reports^
After 1947
2020
Himanshi Dhawan, October 5, 2020: The Times of India
_with_his_sister_Nawabzadi_Kulsoom_Begum_(in_white_in_the_middle).jpg)
From: Himanshi Dhawan, October 5, 2020: The Times of India
A dusty town barely four hours from Delhi, Rampur is famous for its cuisine and the switch knife known as Rampuri chaaku. It’s also known for the Rampur hound and the Raza Library. But in recent years, it’s been in the news for the country’s longest-running civil dispute among squabbling descendants of the late Nawab of Rampur. Last year, a Supreme Court ruling seemed to have settled the matter. But now five new claimants to the late Rampur ruler’s material legacy — palaces, vehicles, weapons and jewellery — have surfaced and they want to be added to the court-approved list of 16 descendants.
Rampur became a place of consequence after the Rohilla Afghans established an independent state here in 1774. The Nawabs of Rampur were able to keep their state intact despite the tur moil of the 18th and 19th-century. As they negotiated their sovereign status vis-à-vis the new masters of the realm — the British — Rampur became a 15-gun salute princely state of British India (a British system of ranking princely states by deciding how many guns need to open up in salute every time the heads of the states made ceremonial visits to Britishadministered provinces).
The state had to renegotiate its sovereignty with free India and became the first princely state to merge with the Indian Union in 1949. This was under Nawab Raza Ali Khan. When he died in 1966, he had three wives, three sons and six daughters. His eldest son, Murtaza Ali Khan, succeeded him, and the government recognised him as the sole inheritor of all his father’s private properties and issued a certificate to this effect.
But his brother Zulfiquar Ali Khan, married to former Lok Sabha member Noor Bano Begum, challenged this in court. This was the genesis of the property dispute in which the courts were asked to decide if inheritance should be based on Muslim personal law or the unique gaddi system the royal family followed before joining the Indian Union. The case went on for 47 years until in July 2019, the Supreme Court decided in favour of Muslim personal law which recognised all sons and daughters as legal heirs. This totted up to 16 descendants. The SC set a deadline of December 2020 to resolve the dispute.
But even as a government monitored audit of the palaces, guns, vehicles and jewellery is taking place, there are five new claimants — descendants of the Nawab’s youngest sister Nawabzadi Kulsoom Begum or Nanhi Begum.
Her grandson Salman Ali Khan says, “As the sister of Raza Ali Khan and daughter of Nawab Hamid Ali Khan, my grandmother has a right in the property as do we”.
Apart from Salman, the new claimants are Sherouth Ali Khan, Sanam Ali Khan, Saira Ali Khan and Mehrunissa Begum, the daughterin-law of Nanhi Begum. “My grandmother was merely 10 years old when her father Hamid Ali Khan passed away. She was deprived of her rights,” Khan, a former advertising professional, says.
Nanhi Begum’s grandchildren tried to obtain a stay on the property division, but their plea was turned down by a district court. They now plan to move Supreme Court for a stay while also trying to establish their rights as descendants at a civil court in Rampur.
However, Harsh Gupta, the lawyer of the late Zulfiquar Ali Khan’s side of the family, says nobody except the legal heirs of Nawab Raza Ali Khan have claim to the property.
Value of assets: 2020
Nazar Abbas, November 22, 2020: The Times of India
Rampur Nawab assets valued at ₹2,600 crore
Rampur:
In its 48th year, a value has finally been assigned to what is at stake in the court battle among members of the Rampur royal family — Rs 2,664 crore. On Saturday, in their submissions to the district and sessions judge of Rampur, court-appointed commissioners filed their estimates of assets that belonged to the last Nawab of Rampur. The court will now hold daily hearings to meet the December deadline the Supreme Court had set for the division of property among claimants, reports Nazar Abbas.
The Nawab of Rampur, Raza Ali Khan, was the first to accede to India after Independence in 1949 on the condition that two things would not change — ownership of property and the right of primogeniture. Upon his death in 1966, both spurred a dispute that led to one of the longest running civil suits in the country. He was survived by six daughters and three sons, and a dispute arose over inheritance. In contention since then have been five properties with 18 claimants, including former MP Begum Noor Bano and former MLA Kazam Ali Khan.
The dispute
All you need to know about Rs 2,664 crore Rampur royal family dispute
NEW DELHI: Rs 2,664 crore - that's the amount at stake for the Rampur royal family which has been locked in a court battle that has dragged on for nearly half a century.
Last week, in their submissions to the district and sessions judge of Rampur, court-appointed commissioners filed their estimates of assets that belonged to the last Nawab of Rampur. The court will now hold daily hearings to meet the December deadline the Supreme Court had set for the division of property among claimants.
Here's a brief history of the royal family and the dispute
Warring clan to Rampur royals
The state of Rampur was founded by Nawab Ali Muhammad Khan, the adopted son and successor of Sardar Daud Khan, chief of the Rohillas in Northern India.
At the time of his death in the late 18th century, he divided his territories equally among his many sons with Faizu'llah Khan, his second son, receiving those around Rampur and Chachait.
Over the next two centuries, the Rampur royals, earlier a warring clan, struck deep roots, and with the blessings of the British, began to build one of the richest principalities in the country.
Accession to India
Raza Ali Khan, who became Nawab in 1930, inherited his father's energetic and modern-thinking Dewan, Colonel Zaidi. Together, they expanded industrialisation at breathtaking speed. Within ten years of the Nawab's succession, the canal system was vastly expanded, electrification projects completed, roads, sanitation systems and schools constructed, and factories and industrial concerns had sprung up everywhere.
The Nawab was also the first to accede to India after Independence in 1949 on the condition that two things would not change — ownership of property and the right of primogeniture.
When Raza Ali Khan died in 1966, he had three wives, three sons and six daughters. His eldest son, Murtaza Ali Khan, succeeded him, and the government recognised him as the sole inheritor of all his father’s private properties and issued a certificate to this effect.
The dispute
Murtaza's brother Zulfiquar Ali Khan, married to former Lok Sabha member Noor Bano Begum, challenged this in court. This was the genesis of the property dispute in which the courts were asked to decide if inheritance should be based on Muslim personal law or the unique gaddi system the royal family followed before joining the Indian Union. The case has entered its 48th year.
New claimants
In July 2019, the Supreme Court decided in favour of Muslim personal law which recognised all sons and daughters as legal heirs. This totted up to 16 descendants. The SC set a deadline of December 2020 to resolve the dispute.
But even as a government monitored audit of the palaces, guns, vehicles and jewellery is taking place, there are five new claimants — descendants of the Nawab’s youngest sister Nawabzadi Kulsoom Begum or Nanhi Begum.
Harsh Gupta, the lawyer of the late Zulfiquar Ali Khan’s side of the family, says nobody except the legal heirs of Nawab Raza Ali Khan have claim to the property.
2021: division of ₹2,000 cr assets
Kanwardeep Singh, Dec 11, 2021: The Times of India
BAREILLY: After nearly five decades of court battle, properties of the erstwhile nawab of Rampur, Raza Ali Khan, worth over Rs 2,650 crore, will finally be divided among his 16 legal heirs. It will be done according to Shariat rules.
The court of Rampur district judge has now given the verdict on the “partition scheme”, following the Supreme Court’s order of July 31, 2019. “The file has been sent to the apex court for the final decree,” said advocate Mukesh Saxena, counsel for one of the heirs, Kazim Ali Khan.
Nawab Raza Ali Khan — who let Rampur join India in 1949 — was survived by three wives, three sons and six daughters after his death in 1966. The government recognised the eldest of his three sons, Murtaza Ali Khan, as the sole inheritor according to the customary law. This was challenged in court by his siblings in 1972. And from there a long, bitter battle for the riches began.
The heirs include late Murtaza’s daughter Nikhat Bi, son Murad Mian and late Zulfiqar Ali Khan Bahadur’s wife Begum Noor Bano (a former MP), her son Naved Mian and others. The share of Syeda Mehrunnisa Begum, descendant of the late nawab and wife of Pakistan Air Marshal Abdul Rahim, will be handed over to the custodian of enemy property — which is the Indian government — as she is now a national of Pakistan.
In February 2020, the strongroom of the family at Khasbagh palace was opened as part of the exercise to evaluate the royal treasures. When the locks of an armoury in the palace, sprawled over 450 acres, was broken the evaluation team found guns with intricate designs, gemstudded swords and handcrafted knives. A garage had vintage cars imported from the US and Europe — among them a Plymouth (1957), Dodge convertible (1954), Austin convertible (1956), Buick (1939) and Willys Jeep (1956).
Immovable properties to be divided among 16 claimants include the 200-acre Benazir Bagh palace, Sarhari Kunda palace, Shahbad Bagh palace and a private railway station.
District government counsel Arun Prakash Saxena told TOI, “ As per the partition plan, all 16 legal heirs will get a share. Two of the legal heirs have died during the long court battle, and their heirs would be entitled to get their share.”
The Muslim law recognizes two types of heirs, sharers and residuaries. Sharers are those who are entitled to a certain share in the property, and residuaries would take their share in the property that is left after the sharers have taken their parts.
See also
Rampur State
