In Brief
A flat buyer challenged orders requiring him to pay maintenance charges and accepting reduced delayed-possession compensation. The Supreme Court held that maintenance charges are payable to the buyer's association (a separate legal entity), not to the builder, and cannot be imposed in proceedings where that association is not a party. The Court also restored the enhanced compensation rate of Rs. 10 per sq. ft. per month (agreed by the builder in 2009) from the original promised date until a valid fresh offer of possession is made. The initial "offer letter" was invalid as it was conditional on settling an illegal statement of accounts. The Court partly allowed the appeals, upholding the buyer's right to delayed compensation and exempting him from maintenance charges payable to a non-party.
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