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Homebuyers and developers can now opt for physical or virtual hearings as MahaRERA adopts a hybrid model
MahaRERA update: The Bombay High Court directed MahaRERA in July to adopt a hybrid model, ensuring that homebuyers and developers can opt for physical hearings
The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has announced that, in line with Bombay High Court directions, it will allow physical hearings of complaints and non-compliance applications in addition to the existing online system. Societies, homebuyers, and developers can continue filing complaints and applications online, with the option of choosing either physical or virtual hearings before any MahaRERA bench.
In July 2025, the Bombay High Court directed MahaRERA to implement a hybrid mechanism to ensure litigants have the option of a physical hearing. In response to this order, MahaRERA issued a circular on August 11 outlining the standard operating procedure.
According to the circular, societies, homebuyers, and developers can continue filing complaints and applications online while opting for either physical or virtual hearings before any MahaRERA bench. Requests for physical hearings must be submitted through the respective party’s login. The daily cause list will now specify the seating arrangements of each bench, and all orders will be uploaded with timestamps.
How can homebuyers opt for a physical hearing?
As per the circular, complainants who wish to opt for physical hearings must submit a written request through their respective login.
Also Read: MahaRERA update: Maharashtra regulator surpasses 50,000 project registrations in 8 years
The Bombay High Court case
The order directing MahaRERA to resume physical hearings came in response to a petition filed by Mumbai resident Mayur Desai. According to a Bar and Bench report, he had challenged the continued absence of physical hearings and sought structured guidelines to streamline the execution of orders passed by the Authority.
The Court noted that before the COVID-19 pandemic, MahaRERA conducted hearings physically. While the shift to virtual hearings during the pandemic was understandable, the report stated that the insistence on virtual-only hearings post-pandemic was procedurally restrictive and systemically opaque.
Following the court’s directions, MahaRERA said it has laid down the procedure for physical hearings. A senior MahaRERA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Even before the Bombay HC order, we were allowing physical hearings upon request. However, most parties preferred virtual hearings as they found them more convenient.”
The move is expected to bring relief to stakeholders in Mumbai’s real estate sector, where thousands of disputes remain pending before the Authority.
As of June 2025, MahaRERA has handled 29,374 complaints against 5,508 real estate projects in Maharashtra. Of these, 3,473 projects were ongoing before MahaRERA’s launch in May 2017, while 2,035 were registered after the regulatory framework came into effect.
