18-06-2025
Bengaluru elderly man's 9-year wait for 1BHK flat turns into legal win: BDA ordered to refund over Rs 8 lakh with 18% interest
The IV Additional District
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
has directed the
Bangalore Development Authority
(BDA) to refund Rs 8.03 lakh to a 70-year-old man from Marathahalli, who waited nearly nine years for a flat promised under the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) housing scheme. The flat was supposed to be delivered in just one year.
What the Court Said
On March 21, 2025, the Commission ruled that BDA must:
Refund Rs 8.03 lakh with 18% interest from the date of the first payment,
Pay Rs 1 lakh for service deficiency,
Rs 25,000 for mental agony,
And Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.
How It Began
Suryaprakash H R
booked a 1BHK flat at Gunjur village on March 7, 2014, paying Rs 1.12 lakh as an initial amount. Later, he was asked to pay the remaining Rs 7.87 lakh within six months. To manage this, he took a housing loan of Rs 8 lakh, which was released to BDA in four instalments.
However, BDA did not provide a registration date or respond to his repeated follow-ups. At one point, officials even said they couldn't trace his file.
Construction Delayed, Site Half-Done
In 2016, when Suryaprakash visited the site, he found only two floors built. A letter from BDA later confirmed that the contractor, Deepak Cable India Ltd., failed to finish the work and the contract was re-tendered.
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Despite hunger strikes and multiple appeals to the Chief Minister and Deputy CM, there was no progress. Frustrated, Suryaprakash sent a legal notice in 2023 and filed a complaint in 2024.
BDA's Defence Dismissed
BDA argued in court that possession was denied due to Rs 1.16 lakh pending. But the court found that Suryaprakash had already paid 95% of the flat's cost by 2015. It also noted the flat was unfit to live in due to lack of basic amenities like drainage and parking.
The court called BDA's excuse unjustified and ruled in favour of the senior citizen.
Inputs from TOI
