Gujarat HC Dismisses Yusuf Pathan’s Plea Over Vadodara Government Land Claim

The Gujarat High Court on Monday dismissed as withdrawn a plea filed by former India cricketer and Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan challenging an earlier court order that described him as an “encroacher” on a piece of government land in Vadodara.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D.N. Ray allowed Pathan to withdraw his appeal after his lawyer, Shalin Mehta, informed the court that the matter was being pursued under a state government policy.

Pathan had challenged a single-judge order passed in August last year that upheld the Gujarat government’s decision to reject his request for allotment of a 978-square-metre plot belonging to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC).

The former international cricketer had sought the land under a state policy that he claimed allowed international cricketers to be allotted plots. During an earlier hearing, Pathan had informed the court that he was pursuing his claim under the government scheme and was granted time to explore that option.

However, the High Court had also warned that further delay in vacating the land could result in higher damages being imposed on him.

On Monday, Mehta told the division bench that Pathan was still awaiting a response from the VMC regarding his claim. He said that if the allotment were to happen, it would have to be resolved outside the court.

Despite the rejection of his allotment claim in 2024, Pathan continued to occupy the disputed land. Following his election as a Trinamool Congress MP from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, the VMC issued him a notice asking him to vacate the plot.

Pathan refused to vacate the land and subsequently challenged the matter before the High Court. During a hearing on June 8, the court had strongly criticised him over the alleged encroachment and questioned how he could occupy the plot without completing the required formalities.

With Pathan withdrawing his appeal, the division bench formally dismissed the case as withdrawn.