The Pune District Consumer Commission has ordered a private builder to refund ₹9,04,500 with 12% interest to a homebuyer who did not receive possession of a 772-square-foot flat in the Wadebolhai area despite paying money and signing a registered sale agreement.
The commission also directed the builder to pay ₹35,000 for the complainant’s mental distress and ₹15,000 towards litigation expenses. The order was issued by commission president Dr Arun Gaikwad and members Kanchan Gangadhare and Pranali Sawant.
The complaint was filed by Anita Mahindra Jawaji against the private construction company. Advocate Sagar Jagdhane represented the complainant before the commission.
According to the case details reported by Pudhari, Jawaji had agreed to purchase a 772-square-foot flat in a project in the Wadebolhai area for ₹18.90 lakh. She paid ₹3 lakh in February 2012. Her monthly loan instalments of ₹8,000 reportedly began from April that year.
The builder took nearly five years to execute the registered agreement for sale. The agreement was eventually registered on August 18, 2017. Under its terms, possession of the flat was expected by May 2018. However, possession was not handed over even after the agreement was registered and the buyer’s payments had been accepted.
Jawaji then approached the consumer commission seeking relief over the delay and failure to provide the home. The commission found that the builder had committed a deficiency in service and had adopted an unfair trade practice. It partly allowed the complaint and ordered the refund along with interest and additional compensation.
The ruling highlights the financial exposure faced by homebuyers when possession is delayed after payments and contractual commitments have been made. In this case, the buyer had committed funds towards the purchase more than a decade before the commission’s order, while the promised possession date had passed in 2018.
The commission’s directions require the builder to return ₹9,04,500 with 12% interest, in addition to the compensation for mental distress and the litigation costs. The report does not provide further details about the project’s present construction status or whether possession remains possible.
The order follows the consumer commission’s finding on the complaint and records the relief granted to the homebuyer.
