SC asks DLF Ltd to hand over flats to buyers by November end

Supreme Court today asked DLF Limited to hand over flats to around 50 buyers, who booked them in its housing project at Panchkula in Haryana, by November-end.
A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan modified the order passed by apex consumer commission, which had asked DLF to pay 12 per cent interest to these buyers for delay in handing over the flats in DLF Valley project near Chandigarh, and reduced the rate of interest to nine per cent.
"We will say that they (DLF) would hand over the flats by end of November this year. The interest will be slashed from 12 per cent to 9 per cent," the bench said.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and A M Singhvi, who appeared for DLF, told the bench that occupancy was not an issue in this matter as the process of giving the remaining 153 flats, out of the total of 1473 units, was going on.
"Here occupancy is not at issue. 1473 flats are there. The flats have been handed over to the buyers and the process to hand over the remaining 153 flats was in progress. The grievance is only on the interest," Sibal told the bench.
He also said, "by November 2016, all the flats will be handed over (to the buyers)."

According to the buyers, the project was to be completed and flats handed over to them in 2013. When they were not given the possession of flats, they had approached the consumer commission.
The apex consumer commission had asked DLF to pay 12 per cent interest to these home buyers on the amount deposited by them.
DLF had approached the apex court challenging the order of apex consumer commission on the aspect of payment of 12 per cent interest.