Gujarat government ‘gifts’ MP Yusuf Pathan disputed plot of land months after he quit TMC

The Gujarat government has proposed transferring part of a disputed municipal plot in Vadodara to Yusuf Pathan without charging him the regular market price. It would gift him 500 square metres and offer the remaining land at a concessional rate. The proposal matters because the land is public property and Pathan was previously described as an encroacher by the Gujarat High Court.

The plot measures 978 square metres and lies near Pathan’s family home in Vadodara’s Tandalja locality. He sought the land in 2012, citing security concerns. The government rejected his request in 2014, but he continued occupying the site. The proposed transfer follows his withdrawal of a related court petition in August.

The proposal came from the Vadodara municipal commissioner. It will be placed before the standing committee of the BJP-ruled civic body for final approval on Friday. Until that approval, the proposed gift and concessional sale are not final.

An encroacher is a person who occupies public or government land without a valid allotment, permission, or other legal basis. The term matters because occupation alone does not create ownership or a right to buy the land. Public authorities can seek removal, and courts may consider the occupation when deciding related disputes.

Pathan requested the 978-square-metre plot in 2012, offering to obtain it at market price because of security concerns near his family home. The Gujarat government rejected that request in 2014. Pathan nevertheless continued occupying the plot, and he said he learned of the rejection only after receiving an eviction notice in 2024.

In 2025, the Gujarat High Court dismissed his petition and described him as an “encroacher”. A division bench later refused relief and verbally warned that he could face damages for occupying public land without allotment. Pathan withdrew the petition in August.

The disputed municipal plot measures 978 square metres. Under the Gujarat government’s proposal, Yusuf Pathan would receive 500 square metres as a gift. The remaining portion would be offered to him at a concessional rate rather than the ordinary market price.

Subtracting the proposed gift from the total gives 478 square metres remaining. The plot is in Vadodara’s Tandalja locality, close to Pathan’s family home. In 2012, he asked for the entire plot at market price, saying its location created security concerns for his family.

The size matters because the proposal divides public land into two different arrangements: a gift for most of the plot and a discounted offer for the rest. The municipal commissioner submitted the proposal, but it is not final. The standing committee of the BJP-ruled Vadodara civic body must approve it before the transfer can proceed.

Pathan first sought the 978-square-metre municipal plot in 2012. He asked to obtain it at market price and cited security concerns because it was close to his family home in Vadodara’s Tandalja locality. The request did not result in an allotment.

The Gujarat government rejected the proposal in 2014. Pathan continued occupying the plot, but he said he was not told about the rejection until receiving an eviction notice in 2024. That notice arrived two days after he won election to the Lok Sabha from West Bengal’s Baharampur constituency on a TMC ticket.

In 2025, the Gujarat High Court dismissed his petition about the land and called him an “encroacher”. A division bench refused relief and verbally warned about possible damages. Pathan withdrew the petition in August. Less than two months later, the government proposed the gift and concessional offer.

A municipal standing committee is a committee within a city’s civic body that examines and approves significant administrative, financial, or property-related proposals. Its role is to provide formal oversight before the municipality acts. The source does not detail the committee’s legal powers, but it identifies this committee as the required final approving body.

In this case, the Vadodara municipal commissioner submitted the proposal to gift 500 square metres to Yusuf Pathan and offer the remaining portion at a concessional rate. The land is a disputed municipal plot measuring 978 square metres. Because the proposal concerns public land, it cannot be treated as a completed transfer merely because the commissioner submitted it.

The standing committee of the BJP-ruled civic body is scheduled to consider the proposal on Friday. Its approval would be the next formal step. Until then, the proposed gift and concessional offer remain pending rather than completed transactions.

Yusuf Pathan’s political position changed before the land proposal reached the civic body. He had won the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat from West Bengal on a Trinamool Congress ticket. The source describes him as later breaking away from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the TMC.

In June, Pathan and 20 Lok Sabha MPs from the undivided TMC announced a merger with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India. The group has since supported the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lower House of Parliament. This marked a shift from running as a TMC candidate to aligning with a group supporting the NDA.

The proposal came months after this political change and less than two months after Pathan withdrew his Gujarat High Court petition. The article reports the timing but does not establish that his political move caused the government’s decision. Final approval still rests with the municipal standing committee.

When public land is transferred below market price or without a clear allotment process, public authorities may face questions about fairness and accountability. The concern is especially sharp when the land was previously disputed and the recipient had no approved allotment. A transparent process helps show how the decision was made and protects public assets.

The article gives a concrete example. Pathan requested the 978-square-metre plot at market price in 2012, but the government rejected the request in 2014. He continued occupying it. The Gujarat High Court later called him an “encroacher”, and a division bench verbally warned that he could face damages for occupying public land without allotment.

The proposed gift and concessional offer have not yet been approved. The standing committee must decide whether to accept the municipal commissioner’s proposal. The article does not report the committee’s final decision or any completed transfer.