SC denies any relief to Group Housing Societies

New Delhi, Aug 4: The Supreme Court today observed that "most of the Group Housing Societies in Delhi have, infact, been taken over by real estate agents." It was hearing a petition seeking allotment of flats which are ready for occupation in the Nagloi based Chinar Coperative Group Housing Society which is also under the CBI investigation along with 137 other group housing societies spread all over the city.

A Bench comprising Justice K G Balakrishanan and Justice D K Jain, while refusing to grant any relief to the 12 members of the Chinar Housing Society, directed them to approach Delhi High Court where the matter is already pending. The apex court directed the High Court to decide the application of the petitioners within two months. Earlier senior counsel Arun Jaitley, appearing for the applicants, pleaded for directions to the authorities to hand over the possession to the applicants subject to the outcome of their petitions pending in this court.

Delhi High Court had ordered a CBI inquiry when the multi crore housing scam in which land has been allotted to 138 fake group housing societies on the basis of bogus and forged list of members, came to light.

Chinar Group Housing Society which came into being on September 22, 1983 was alloted land in 1998 and out of its original 121 members only two or three remained as rest of them are alleged to have resigned.

Former Registrar of group housing socities is already in jail along with some builders including the scam's alleged kingpin Saxena.

Most of the group housing socities existed only on the papers and were alloted lands at concessional rates on the basis of forged and fake list of members. Chinar Society got 7000 sq mts of land.

The plea of the petitioners was strongly opposed by counsel for the Registrar Group Housing Coperative Societies pleading that CBI inquiry can not be scuttled like this and the flats can not be alloted to the petitioners.

Refusing to interfere, the Supreme Court said, "if we pass any such interim order in this case, we shall have to pass the same orders for others as well."

UNI