SC asks Unitech to pay Rs.80,000 litigation cost to each buyer

The Supreme Court directed embattled real estate firm Unitech Residential Resorts Ltd to pay Rs. 80,000 each as compensation to 39 home buyers towards litigation cost and causing harassment to them.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Amitava Roy and AM Khanwilkar disposed off 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 had sought a refund of their principal amount, totalling 16.55 crore rupees with interest, after the developer, which



had promised to give them possession by 2012, delayed it.

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

Earlier, the firm had told the court that it has complied with the direction on refund of principal and interest to the home buyers of its Gurugram's project.

Prior to this, the court had directed the firm to deposit 14 per cent interest on 16.55 crore rupees invested by the 39 buyers and warned it that failure to pay could invite attaching the realtor's property.