Former cricketer and TMC MP Yusuf Pathan.
Credit: X/ @iamyusufpathan
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court recently ruled that former cricketer and TMC MP Yusuf Pathan is an “encroacher” of a residential plot in Vadodara and directed the civic authorities to remove the encroachment. The court emphasized that granting leniency to celebrities for defying the law sends the wrong message to society.
A single bench of Justice Mauna Bhatt passed the order last month, rejecting the petition filed by Pathan. The former cricketer had challenged the Vadodara Municipal Corporation's (VMC) notice issued last year, which asked him to vacate the government-owned plot he had occupied since 2012.
The disputed land is an open residential plot adjacent to his bungalow in the Tandalja area of Vadodara. In 2012, Pathan had approached the VMC seeking to purchase the plot at market price, citing “security concerns for himself and his family as an international cricketer.” The VMC conducted a valuation and forwarded the proposal to the state government, which rejected it in 2014. Despite the rejection, Pathan continued to occupy the plot.
The matter resurfaced in 2024, shortly after Pathan was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Baharampur constituency in West Bengal on a Trinamool Congress ticket. The VMC issued him a notice to vacate the plot, prompting Pathan to approach the high court for relief.
He also appealed to the state chief minister, requesting permission to buy the plot, arguing that both he and his brother Irfan Pathan were internationally acclaimed sports personalities.
Justice Bhatt held that after the state government’s rejection in 2014, Pathan had no right to occupy the land. The court observed:
"Long possession or willingness to pay at this stage will not grant any right over the land in question. This illegality shall not be permitted to be perpetuated."
Responding to the VMC’s argument that Pathan, as a national representative and public figure, had greater responsibility to abide by the law, the court strongly agreed. The order noted:
"Celebrities, by virtue of their fame and public presence, wield substantial influence on public behavior and social values. Granting leniency to such persons despite their disregard for the law sends the wrong message to society and undermines public confidence in the judicial system."
Justice Bhatt concluded that the petitioner must vacate the plot he has encroached upon without further delay.