Supreme Court issues notice to Unitech on contempt plea of home buyers

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea on alleged non-compliance of its order to compensate some hassled home buyers for delayed delivery of their dream homes.

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from real estate major Unitech Ltd on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against it for alleged non-compliance of its order to compensate some hassled home buyers for delayed delivery of their dream homes.

The Supreme Court had disposed of the appeal filed by Unitech against the order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and asked it to pay the cost within eight weeks to the home buyers. (AP)

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud issued notice to the real estate firm on a joint contempt petition moved by 13 home buyers who claimed they were yet to receive a compensation of ₹80,000 each as per the directions of the apex court on September 20 last year.

The plea claimed that the apex court order directing the firm to pay ₹80,000 each as compensation to 39 home buyers towards litigation cost and causing harassment to them, has not been complied with as yet.

However, some of the beneficiaries of the order have been paid this amount, it said. The petitioners said they had personally approached the competent authorities of Unitech Ltd, but they did not pay any heed to the requests.

“The respondent has deliberately and wilfully disobeyed the order of this court, which is writ apparent from its conduct and, therefore, a clear cut case for initiation of proceeding for contempt of the order dated September 20, 2017 is made out,” it said.

The court had disposed of the appeal filed by the real estate company against the order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and asked it to pay the cost within eight weeks to the home buyers.

The 39 home buyers had booked flats in Unitech’s Vista housing project in Gurugram and sought a refund of their principal amount, totalling ₹16.55 crore with interest, after the developer, who had promised to give them possession by 2012, delayed it.

The apex court had modified the NCDRC order on the issue of compensation and awarded a compensation of ₹80,000, besides the refund of the money invested by the home buyers who had said that they did not want the flats.