On a sticky wicket: Gujarat HC pulls up Yusuf Pathan over possession of Vadodara plot

The Gujarat High Court has questioned West Bengal Trinamool Congress MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan over his possession of a plot in Vadodara, observing that the land was never formally allotted to him and asking how he came to occupy it without completing the required legal procedures.

Hearing a Letters Patent Appeal related to Plot No. 90 under Town Planning Scheme No. 22 of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D N Ray noted that only a proposal for allotment had been approved and no final allotment had taken place.

The court also indicated that it could order an investigation against the official who allegedly handed over possession of the land and warned that action, including a fine, could follow if the land was not vacated.

Court questions occupation of land

During the hearing, the bench criticised what it described as the occupation of public land without completion of statutory formalities.

The court observed: “There is only a proposal to give you land. If the land has not been allotted, how did you occupy the land? How can you be given land without any auction? The corporation cannot choose a person and give a plot. There should be a transparent and open policy for allotment of plots.”

Questioning the circumstances under which possession was obtained, the bench noted that no lease deed had been executed and no formal allotment process had been completed.

“How can you occupy the land?” the court asked.

‘You are not illiterate’

The court also made strong remarks regarding Pathan’s conduct in the matter.

“Acquiring land without following the necessary procedure and exerting unauthorised pressure on government land is a crime and you are not illiterate,” the bench observed, adding that it expected better behaviour “from an international-level cricketer”.

“Even if you are not using the land, the land is in your possession and therefore you have to pay its rent. If you do not vacate the land, the court will order the authority to take possession.”

How the dispute reached the High Court

The dispute dates back to 2012, when Pathan applied for land in Vadodara.

In 2012, the VMC Standing Committee passed a resolution proposing that the land be provided to Pathan at market price.

After approval by the VMC general body, the proposal was sent to the Gujarat government.

In 2024, the state government rejected the proposal.

Pathan subsequently challenged the VMC’s June 6, 2024 decision rejecting the proposal to allot the plot on a 99-year lease without a public auction.

VMC also directed him to remove the alleged encroachment from the land.

On September 12, 2025, a single judge of the High Court dismissed his petition and refused relief.

Pathan then filed the present Letters Patent Appeal before the division bench.

Court raises concerns over allotment process

The bench questioned how public land could be allotted without an auction and reiterated that municipal authorities could not arbitrarily select an individual for allotment.

“The corporation was with you, so you forced it? You did not complete any formality [and neither is there a] lease deed in your case. How can you occupy the land?” the court observed.

The matter remains pending before the Gujarat High Court.