On Friday (October 23) evening, the Standing Committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) approved the allotment of a 978-square-metre plot to Yusuf Pathan , the same land over which it had served the MP and former India cricketer an encroachment notice two years ago.

The Standing Committee is the highest executive body of the VMC, and all its 12 members are BJP corporators. The proposal, which was passed unanimously, will now be placed before the General Board, the top legislative and decision-making body of the civic administration, for ratification.

The proposal to allot the land to Pathan explicitly states that it is an exception that must not become a precedent.

The question of precedent is key – it has already been raised by a group opposing the decision; it is also a concern that the Gujarat government has moved proactively to address even before the transfer is completed.

The position taken by the government puts the spotlight on the legal basis for the allotment, the terms on which…