Nizam’s Kin Seeks Unsealing of Historical Land Records Amid Bala Sai Baba Trust Dispute

Hyderabad: In wake of legal dispute over 42 acres of Bala Sai Baba Trust land in Kondapur between AP and Telangana, the Nizam’s kin urged the state government to give public access to ‘restricted’ historical records and towards helping legal scrutiny. Himayat Ali Mirza, the great grandson of Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan, in a media statement requested Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to form a committee of legal experts to examine land records. This, he said, would shed light on land ownership, particularly at prime localities including Kondapur and Gachibowli. “Large volumes of historical documents relating to Sarf-e-Khas (crown lands), jagirs, Paigah estates, inams, and endowed properties — many written in Urdu and Persian — remain sealed in government custody. These records are widely acknowledged as primary evidence for determining ownership, succession, and legality of transfers prior to 1948,” explained Himayat Ali. He argued that over decades, vast tracts of land historically linked to princely estates had been taken into government control or transferred to third parties through revised revenue entries and administrative regularization — often, he claimed, without reconciliation with original titles. “Legal experts and historians have warned that the absence of public and judicial access to these archives has had far-reaching consequences,” he cautioned. Claiming that he was the legal heir to the Nizam’s properties, Himayat Ali sought resolution through constitution of a special judicial committee under independent supervision. “I urge the CM that archival records be preserved, secured and unsealed and there should be judicial examination of historical titles. The government should ensure equal and non-discriminatory access to records for all legal heirs and claimants. It should prevent irreversible land decisions until historical ownership is conclusively reconciled,” he added.



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