Haryana RERA rejects pandemic extensions in two Godrej Meridien possession cases

The Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HARERA), Gurugram, has refused to extend possession deadlines on the basis of the COVID-19 pandemic in two buyer complaints against Godrej Properties Limited and Godrej Real View Developers Private Limited. The orders are dated 29 September and 8 October 2026. The authority also declined to treat recurring winter construction curbs as a blanket reason for delay. The project is Godrej Meridien in Sector 106, Gurugram, on the Dwarka Expressway.

In the order dated 8 October, a buyer booked a Phase I apartment in August 2020 and signed the agreement for sale on 5 November 2020. The possession deadline in that agreement was 30 September 2022. The authority did not apply a further COVID-19 extension, because the agreement was signed after the pandemic had begun.

The order dated 29 September concerned an agreement signed in June 2023, with possession due by 30 September 2023. The authority rejected a pandemic-based extension on the same reasoning: the contract was made after the pandemic had started.

The outcome differed for an earlier contract. An agreement signed in December 2018 received a COVID extension, moving the possession deadline from 30 September 2023 to 30 March 2024.

What the authority said on winter curbs

On construction curbs, the authority reasoned that restrictions recur every season, so developers should plan for them. A developer must still show how a particular restriction affected the particular project. A general reference to pollution bans is not enough to end the discussion.

Earlier orders in other Gurugram cases set out the wider background. In an order in a separate complaint, relating to a project in Sector 37D, the authority granted a six-month extension to all ongoing projects on 26 May 2020, for the first wave of COVID-19. The same order records that construction was banned across Haryana for 103 days, from 12 April to 24 July 2021.

The authority had already ruled on a Meridien-I flat in December 2025. It directed Godrej Real View Developers to pay interest at 10.8 per cent a year to a Lucknow couple. The agreement was executed on 27 September 2019, with Phase I possession fixed for 30 September 2020. After COVID relief, the revised due date was 30 March 2023. The occupation certificate was obtained on 31 March 2023, and physical possession was handed over on 27 November 2024. The authority rejected the promoter's argument that lockdowns, labour shortages, cost increases and pollution curbs justified further delay, holding that seasonal pollution curbs were foreseeable.

What buyers and developers must do

Remedies depend on the agreement and the facts of each case. Buyers may seek interest, compensation or a refund, but no remedy is automatic. A buyer facing a delay should ask the developer for a written explanation of the delay and a revised possession date with its regulatory basis. The buyer should also check the possession clause in the agreement, confirm the project's registration details on the HARERA portal, and keep written records of all communications.

For developers, the orders make a general reference to pollution bans insufficient. A promoter must tie each claimed disruption to the specific project and its timeline.

Godrej Meridien is spread across about 14.8 acres, with seven towers and about 750 homes in 2, 3 and 4 BHK configurations. Published possession dates for the project differ across listings, so buyers should check the dates in their registered agreement rather than rely on listing pages.

A Godrej spokesperson said the company disagreed with the 8 October order after a preliminary review. The company said it would consider legal remedies, including an appeal before the Haryana Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. No filing date or hearing date has been announced. In July 2026, the same authority directed Godrej Highview to hand over a unit in Godrej Nature Plus, Sohna, and to pay delay interest until handover. The 8 October order stands as the authority's decision unless it is changed on appeal.