Real estate firm asked to pay Rs 4 lakh for unfair trade practice

New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked Durga Builders Pvt Ltd to pay compensation to Kusum Gupta

A consumer forum here has asked a real estate firm to pay Rs 4 lakh to a woman for "cheating" her by "unfair trade practice" as it denied her a plot of land which she booked.

The New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked Durga Builders Pvt Ltd to pay the compensation to Kusum Gupta, saying it was a "pure case of cheating, unfair trade practice".

"It is a pure case of cheating, unfair trade practice, frustration of contract, by inability of Opposite Party (firm) to complete project, for some reasons," the forum said.

It directed the firm to pay Rs 4 lakh to Gupta while holding it guilty of "deficiency" and "unfair trade practice".

Gupta had told the forum that she had booked the plot in the firm's project in Badarpur in 1992 but after the booking, the firm asked her to accept another plot in place of the original.

Later, she was told by the firm that due to some technical reasons and financial crunch, it was not possible for it to give her the plot.

When Gupta demanded the allotment letter, she was denied by the firm.

Thereafter, she filed a consumer complaint seeking compensation of Rs 4 lakh.