Yusuf Pathan set to get half of Vadodara plot free under Gujarat government settlement

Former India cricketer and Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan is set to acquire a disputed 1,000-square-metre plot in Vadodara after the Gujarat government worked out a settlement under which half the land will be allotted to him free of cost, while he will pay an estimated Rs 10 crore for the remaining portion.

The proposed settlement is expected to bring an end to a dispute that dates back to 2012, when Pathan sought a 99-year lease of the land, located next to his family home in Vadodara's Tandalja locality. Pathan lives in the area with his brother Irfan Pathan, their families and their parents.

According to a report, the state has decided to absorb half the value of the plot under special welfare provisions for distinguished international sportspersons who have represented India and hail from Gujarat. The state revenue and municipal departments have been tasked with completing the transfer.

The arrangement comes after years of administrative objections over the allotment of municipal land without a public auction. While civic authorities generally dispose of such properties through open bidding, officials have cited sports promotion guidelines as the basis for the proposed settlement.

Pathan first sought the plot in 2012, citing security concerns associated with his status as an international cricketer. Municipal proposals at the time favoured allotting the land to him to address residential security concerns. However, higher state authorities rejected the proposal, maintaining that public property should be allotted through a transparent bidding process.

The plot remained at the centre of an administrative dispute for years. The matter gained further attention after Pathan won the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal in 2024 on a Trinamool Congress ticket.

Soon after his election, the Bharatiya Janata Party-run Vadodara Municipal Corporation issued him a notice to remove what it described as an encroachment on the land. Pathan challenged the notice before the Gujarat High Court.

The court subsequently questioned his occupation of municipal land without a formal allotment or the necessary financial clearances. Following the court's observations and warnings over possible penalties, Pathan's lawyers unconditionally withdrew the pending appeals, clearing the way for the administration to reconsider the matter.

The proposed settlement has also attracted attention because of the political developments surrounding Pathan. In June, he was among a group of Trinamool Congress MPs reported to have broken away from the party and merged with the Nationalist Congress Party of India (NCPI), subsequently aligning with the National Democratic Alliance in Parliament.

The Gujarat government's decision comes amid questions over the timing of the settlement, given that the dispute had remained unresolved for more than a decade. While authorities have linked the arrangement to Pathan's contribution to Indian cricket and the state's sports promotion policies, the development has prompted scrutiny of the process followed in allotting public land.

Pathan last represented India in One-Day Internationals and T20 internationals in March 2012. He also played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League from 2011 to 2017.