Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) Standing Committee on Friday approved a proposal to auction seven civic plots across the city, including a 978 sq m plot in Tandalja that was at the centre of a prolonged legal dispute involving former India cricketer and Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan.

The proposal will now be placed before the VMC General Board for final approval. The auction process will begin once the civic body receives the General Board’s nod.

The Tandalja plot came under scrutiny after the Gujarat High Court upheld the VMC’s stand that the land had never been formally allotted to Pathan. Dismissing his challenge to a civic notice, the court ruled that his occupation of the plot amounted to encroachment and allowed the VMC to proceed as per law.

According to court records, Pathan had applied in 2012 for allotment of the land to set up a stable. The VMC had resolved to sell the plot to him at ₹57,270 per sq m without an auction, but the proposal was rejected by the state government in 2014 as such allotments required prior government approval.

The High Court, in its September 2025 order, observed that no final allotment order had ever been issued in Pathan’s favour and held that he could not claim any right over the land after the state government rejected the proposal. The court also termed him an “encroacher” and said the VMC should take strict action in accordance with the law.

Officials said the seven plots identified for auction are located in different parts of Vadodara and the move is aimed at generating revenue through a transparent disposal process. DeshGujarat