There was never any evidence that this fraudaulant family had any thing to do with the Wazid Ali Shah or Begum Hazrat Mahal. There are many descendants of Wazid Ali Shah[1], and they have always maintained that this family is a fraud. I remember having read about them in the past.

One giveaway was the name " Wilayat Mahal". "Mahal" was not a family name but a title bestowed by the ruler to the mother of a male heir (as in the case of Begum Hazrat Mahal or Mumtaz Mahal). "Sakina Mahal" wasn't even married.

This is a notable example of numerous publications sympathetically accepting a claim, even though a simple examination would show that the claim is bogus.

There are other similar claims. A relative of descendants of Mahatma Gandhi (by marriage) changed his last name to Gandhi a while ago. Some of the purported descendants of the Mughals are likely fake, although some are real.

Malaiya (talk)

References