Gujarat HC finds TMC MP Yusuf Pathan guilty of land encroachment

The Gujarat High Court has ruled that former cricketer and Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan is guilty of encroaching on a 978-square-metre plot of land adjacent to his residence in Vadodara. The court rejected Pathan’s petition challenging the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s (VMC) notice to vacate the land and directed the civic body to take strict action in accordance with the law. According to information, the dispute dates back to 2012, when Pathan requested the plot from VMC to construct a stable. Although the civic body passed a resolution to sell him the land at a fixed rate, the state government rejected the proposal in 2014. Despite this, the land remained in Pathan’s possession for over a decade.
In June 2024, after Pathan’s election as MP from Baharampur, a VMC councillor objected to his continued occupation, prompting the civic body to issue a notice. Pathan argued that he was willing to pay the market price, but the court found that he had no legal right to occupy the land without a formal allotment.
Justice Mauna Bhatt, in her order uploaded on Friday, observed, “The petitioner had no right to occupy the plot… this action would amount to encroachment by creating a boundary wall.” The court further remarked that celebrities must be more mindful of the law, noting that leniency in such cases could send a wrong message to society.  While rejecting the plea, the court declined VMC’s request to impose a fine, citing inaction by the corporation despite being aware of Pathan’s possession since 2014. VMC officials have stated that steps will now be taken to repossess the land in light of the ruling.

(State Correpondent)