MahaRERA Introduces Hybrid Hearings After HC Directive

The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has announced the resumption of physical hearings for complaints and non-compliance applications, in line with a Bombay High Court directive.

This new hybrid mechanism allows litigants—including societies, homebuyers, and developers—to choose between physical or virtual hearings for cases before any MahaRERA bench. In July 2025, the Bombay High Court directed MahaRERA to offer hybrid hearings after a petition filed by Mumbai resident Mayur Desai, who argued that the absence of physical hearings post-pandemic was restrictive and opaque.

Key Highlights

• MahaRERA adopts hybrid hearings after Bombay HC directive
• Litigants can now choose between physical or virtual hearings
• 29,374 complaints handled against 5,508 projects as of June 2025

While MahaRERA had transitioned to online hearings during COVID-19, the Court observed that continuing a virtual-only system was procedurally unfair.

Responding to this order, MahaRERA issued a circular on August 11, 2025, outlining standard procedures. Complaints and applications will continue to be filed online, while requests for physical hearings must be submitted through the litigant’s login. The daily cause list will now specify seating arrangements for benches, and all orders will be uploaded with timestamps for transparency.

A senior MahaRERA official noted that even before the court order, physical hearings were permitted upon request, but most litigants preferred virtual hearings for convenience. The move, however, is expected to bring relief to stakeholders in Maharashtra’s real estate sector, which has thousands of pending disputes.

Also Read: MahaRERA Orders Lodha to Refund NRI Homebuyers' Booking

As of June 2025, MahaRERA has handled 29,374 complaints across 5,508 real estate projects in the state, including both ongoing projects prior to May 2017 and those registered after the regulatory framework came into effect.