The government’s approval has also drawn attention because the development is being viewed by some as a reward for Pathan after he left the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and joined the NCPI. The dispute has remained a subject of discussion for years, involving court hearings, petitions and repeated administrative decisions.
Following the state government’s order, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s final approval will determine when Pathan can obtain possession of the plot adjoining his house. The allocation process has resumed nearly 14 years after the initial proposal was considered.
The plot, located at Final Plot No. 90 in Tandalja TP-22, measures 978 square metres. Its value was estimated at ₹20.53 crore, calculated at ₹2.10 lakh per square metre. After the minimum base price for an auction is determined, the proposal to allocate the land to Pathan will be placed before the municipal corporation’s standing committee.
Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Arun Babu confirmed that the state government’s approval had been received. He said the process would be completed after the proposal was placed before the standing committee. Pathan will have to pay for the plot, but the amount payable will become clear only after the municipal corporation examines the state government’s order.
The matter dates back to 2012, when Pathan, who is also a former cricketer, wrote to the municipal commissioner seeking allocation of the 978-square-metre plot next to his bungalow. Meetings were held on March 30 and June 8, 2012, during which the proposal to allot the land was advanced. The process was initiated to grant the plot on a 99-year lease without conducting a public auction.
In 2014, however, the state government declined to approve the proposal to allocate the plot without a public auction. The matter remained unresolved for years, with the legal status of the land and the proposed allocation continuing to be contested.
In 2024, the municipal corporation ordered action to remove the alleged encroachment, citing the rejection of the plot-allocation proposal. Pathan challenged the decision before the Gujarat High Court. On August 21, 2025, the High Court dismissed his petition.
Pathan subsequently filed an appeal challenging that decision. On June 8 this year, the High Court questioned how possession of government land had been obtained when there had been no legal allocation and no payment had been made. The court also raised questions about the role of municipal corporation officials in the matter.
During the proceedings, Pathan’s lawyer sought additional time to advance arguments citing the state government’s policy on allocating land to international cricketers. The case took another turn on August 31, 2026, when Pathan withdrew the appeal he had filed before the court.
The Gujarat government has now approved the allocation of the disputed 978-square-metre plot in Vadodara. The proposal must still pass through the municipal corporation’s standing committee, while the amount Pathan will be required to pay remains subject to examination of the state government’s order. The next administrative steps will determine how the long-running property dispute proceeds.
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