Hyderabad: The dispute with regard to jewellery worth crores of rupees which the Bombay Airport Customs authorities claimed to have seized in 1952 from the late Nawab Zahir Yar Jung (Jagirdar) has reached the Hyderabad High Court.
Rajesh Agarwal, a businessman of Hyderabad, has filed a petition before the High Court seeking a direction to the Telangana government, Special Chief Secretary of Revenue, Commissioner of Survey Settlement and Land Records (Jagir Administrators Wing), State Bank of Hyderabad, not to release the five sealed jewellery boxes deposited with the former State Bank of Hyderabad.
He informed the court that Ahmed Miya of Chincholi, Karnataka, and Khadeer Hussain of Hyderabad purchased the jewellery from the Jagirdar and his wife Azmatunnisa Begum and then moved an application, No 104/1963, before the High Court in CS No 7/1958 and the High Court on June 28, 1963, granted order for release of the jewellery boxes.
Mr Agarwal submitted that Ahmed Miya and Khader Hussain transferred their rights over the jewellery boxes to Mohamed Zakir Osman, a resident of Hyderabad, on June 21, 2006, allowing him to undertake all necessary actions for release of the jewellery boxes from the government.
He told the court that Zakir Osman moved an application CS No 7/1958 in 2014 before the Hyderabad High Court. On June 13, 2014, the High Court passed the final decree holding Ahmed Miya and Khader Hussain as owners of the jewellery in the ratio 50:50.
He claimed that, as Zakir Osman was unable to pursue and follow up on the matter and bear the expenses in respect of the release of the jewellery, Osman approached him along with one Rakesh Gupta, a businessman, for administrative and monetary help.
Mr Agarwal informed the court that Osman entered into a memorandum of understanding on October 3, 2016 wherein Mr Agarwal and Rakesh Gupta agreed to be the facilitators to help Osman to pursue the release of the jewellery boxes.
In return, Osman agreed to give 50 per cent of the jewellery to him and Rakesh Gupta.
Mr Agarwal submitted that for the purpose of the same he invested substantial amount of money, time, effort and energy.
Alleging that Osman and Gupta are now avoiding him and trying to whisk away the jewellery, Mr Agarwal urged the court to grant direction to ensure his presence during release of the
jewellery and in the meantime grant stay on release of the jewellery boxes.
Mr C.V. Bhaskar Reddy, counsel for the revenue department of Telangana state, informed the court that the value of the property involved in this case was very high and it involved complicated legal and factual aspects.
He urged the court to grant time to get written instructions from the government as he was unable to make any statement until he gets written instructions.
Justice C. Praveen Kumar, while granting the interim order, said, “Having regard to the facts and circumstances in issue and since the value of the subject property runs into hundreds and thousands of crores of rupees, status quo shall be maintained with regard to the property in dispute.”
