Cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan has approached the Gujarat High Court concerning allegations of encroachment on a plot belonging to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. Pathan’s lawyer presented arguments before the court on Thursday.
Vadodara Municipal Corporation Standing Committee Chairman Sheetal Mistry stated that since the matter is now in court, the decision will depend on the court’s ruling. Former Vadodara BJP councillor Vijay Pawar raised this issue on June 13, alleging that Yusuf Pathan had illegally occupied the Municipal Corporation plot adjacent to his residence.
The Pathan family’s bungalow is located in Vadodara’s Tandlaja area. Adjacent to this bungalow is the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s reserved plot labeled “TOWN PLANNING 22 FINAL PLOT 90.”
In 2012, Yusuf Pathan requested this plot from the corporation to build a stable. The corporation initially passed a resolution permitting the allotment of this plot to Pathan. However, when the request reached Gandhinagar in 2014, the state government rejected it, refusing to grant the plot.
Pathan has been accused of occupying this plot by constructing a compound wall. Vijay Pawar wrote a letter to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee Chairman and Municipal Commissioner, demanding the removal of this illegal occupation and the return of the plot to the corporation’s possession.
When asked about the matter, the Standing Committee Chairman said a notice had been issued and a decision would be made soon. He assured that the plot would be reclaimed.
On June 15, another Vadodara councilor, Nitin Donga, submitted a memorandum to the Municipal Commissioner. In this memorandum, he demanded that a case of land grabbing be registered against Pathan.
Nitin Donga also alleged that in the property declaration affidavit required when filling out the MP form, Pathan had shown some part of the corporation plot as his ownership. The Vadodara Municipal Commissioner confirmed that a notice had been given in this matter and that further proceedings were ongoing.
