Nizam's frozen millions

Once the world's richest man, Hyderabad's seventh and last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, is making waves, some five decades after he passed away. At the Centre of the buzz are his frozen millions in London's Westminster Bank, which have snowballed from £1 million in 1948 to over £ 30 million today. Both India and Pakistan have staked claims to the millions. There has even been talk of an out-of-court settlement. But this is strongly contested by the Nizam's grandsons and great grandsons, who claim that the money should go only "to the direct descendents" since it constituted Osman Ali's personal wealth. In 1995, the Nizam's direct descendents shared a major portion of Rs.600 crore they got after the Centre acquired the Nizam's fabulous 173-piece jewellery. Incredible as it may seem, some 1,900 are claiming relationship with the late Nizam, including 470 sons, daughters, grandsons and grand daughters. The Nizam had six wives, in addition to Pasha, his first Begum, and 42 concubines. All descendents are claiming to be legal heirs!