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The process to allot the plot to him near his Vadodara residence remained stalled for 14 years. The final value of the 978-square-metre plot has been estimated at Rs 20.53 crore (Rs 2.10 lakh per square metre).

After determining the minimum base price, or upset value, for the auction, the proposal to allot the plot to Pathan will be presented before the Standing Committee of the local civic body.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation Commissioner Arun Babu said it had received the state government's approval and would now place the proposal before the panel. The entire process will be completed once the committee's approval is obtained.

The amount Pathan will have to pay for the plot, however, has not yet been finalised. The civic body will determine the amount after examining the state government's order.BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE MATTER

In 2012, Pathan wrote to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, seeking the allotment of a 978-square-metre plot adjacent to his bungalow in Vadodara's Tandalja area.

Proposals for the allotment were discussed at meetings held on March 30 and June 8 that year. The municipal corporation later initiated the process to allot the land to him on a 99-year lease without a public auction.

However, in 2014, the state government rejected the proposal to allot the plot without a public auction.

In 2024, citing the rejection of the allotment proposal, the municipal corporation ordered immediate action to remove the alleged encroachment on the land. Pathan challenged the decision in the Gujarat High Court.

On August 21, 2025, the court dismissed his petition. Pathan subsequently filed an appeal before a division bench challenging the single judge's order.

During a hearing on June 8, 2026, the High Court questioned how the government land had been occupied when it had not been legally allotted and the requisite payment had not been made.

The court also raised questions about the role of municipal officials in the matter.

Pathan's lawyer sought time to present further arguments, citing the state government's policy on land allotments to international cricketers.

A significant development came on August 31 this year, when Pathan withdrew his appeal before the High Court.- Ends

Brijesh Doshi, who lives in Ahmedabad, is a Senior Special Correspondent in the India Today Group and is currently working as the Gujarat bureau chief of AajTak-India Today TV. He reports on political matters from Gujarat. A journalist with more than 14 years of experience, Brijesh has done reported extensively from the ground during several natural disasters scuh as cyclones and floods in Gujarat in the last decade. He has also done detailed coverage on all the political developments in the state. He previously worked in Gujarat's vernacular media for more than 12 years.