For elderly homebuyers, purchasing a house is often intended to provide security in later years. However, prolonged real estate disputes can turn that expectation into years of hearings, paperwork and uncertainty, as two cases before the MahaRERA Appellate Tribunal illustrate.
At 85, Venkataraja Rao is still waiting for his appeal to be listed after challenging a MahaRERA order involving two flats in Thane. His case concerns units in the Serein Phase 1 project, where the Authority ordered the promoters to refund the amount paid after the allotments were terminated.
Rao and his 78-year-old wife had approached MahaRERA over the dispute. The Authority passed its order on May 15, 2025. Dissatisfied with the decision, Rao filed an appeal before the Appellate Tribunal on November 25, 2025. The matter is yet to be listed.
The couple had also booked a flat in Bengaluru’s Promont project. MahaRERA held that it could not examine that claim because the property falls under Karnataka RERA jurisdiction.
Another case involving elderly buyers has moved closer to possession. Chandravati Purohit, 75, and her 79-year-old husband, Chattarsingh, booked a flat with M/s Parshvanath Construction through a registered Agreement for Sale dated June 30, 2017. The property was priced at Rs 90 lakh, with possession promised by December 31, 2018. The project received its Occupation Certificate on June 30, 2022.
The buyers said they had paid the entire Rs 90 lakh but were still denied possession. The developer, meanwhile, maintained that possession had been offered on several occasions. The couple disputed some of these claims, saying certain offers were conditional.
A separate dispute arose over an alleged demand for Rs 10 lakh towards parking, along with GST and interest.
On August 5, 2026, the MahaRERA Appellate Tribunal directed the Purohits to deposit Rs 5,06,902 with its registry and instructed the developer to hand over possession within four weeks of the deposit. The couple deposited the amount on August 11.
“Since 2013, we have struggled for possession of our own home despite paying nearly Rs 90 lakh. We are relieved that the MahaRERA Appellate Tribunal has ruled in our favour, and after years of legal battle, we hope to spend the remaining years of our lives in our dream home,” said Chandravati Purohit.
Advocate Anil D’Souza, who represented both families, said, “Justice delayed is justice denied. For senior citizens, years of delayed possession mean losing the very time in which they should have been enjoying their homes.”
Source: Mid-day
