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2011 WC Winner Yusuf Pathan Faces Legal Trouble From Gujarat HC Over Land Dispute

Akshita Patel

Yusuf Pathan faces setback in case at Gujarat High Court [Source: @CatchOfThe40986/X.com]Yusuf Pathan faces setback in case at Gujarat High Court [Source: @CatchOfThe40986/X.com]

Former Indian 2011 World Cup hero Yusuf Pathan has found himself in deep legal trouble after the Gujarat High Court designated him as an encroacher on a government plot in Vadodara. The ruling comes as a major blow to the all-rounder, who is also a Trinamool Congress MP.

The case revolves around a residential plot next to Pathan’s bungalow in Tandalja, Vadodara. Back in 2012, Pathan requested that the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) sell him the land, citing security concerns for himself and his family. 

Yusuf Pathan Reprimanded By Gujarat High Court

He argued that his status as an international cricketer required extra protection. However, the VMC rejected his request in 2014, stating that the plot could not be sold. 

Despite the rejection, Yusuf Pathan continued to occupy the property. For years, the matter remained quiet until it resurfaced in 2024, shortly after he was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Baharampur seat in West Bengal.

In response, the VMC issued a notice ordering Pathan to vacate the land. The cricketer went to court challenging the notice, but his petition was rejected by the High Court.

Justice Mauna Bhatt, who presided over the judgment, made it amply clear that star status does not exempt anybody from the law. 

The court directed civic authorities to remove the encroachment, stressing that Pathan’s influence as a public figure made it even more important for him to follow the rules.

Yusuf Pathan’s Political Career

After retiring from cricket in February 2021, Yusuf Pathan entered politics in 2024 by joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC). He was nominated by TMC to contest the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal during the 2024 general elections, challenging long-time Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. 

Pathan won the seat by a margin of 85,022 votes. Influenced by Mamata Banerjee’s development work and having spent years familiar with Bengal through the IPL, he has said he joined politics to serve people and give back what he earned in his cricketing career.