Haryana RERA rejects Covid, winter-ban defences in Godrej Meridien delay cases

What HARERA decided

HARERA rejected the developer's COVID-19 extension defence in specific buyer complaints. In the same orders, it declined to treat recurring winter construction restrictions as a blanket excuse for delay.

According to reports, the authority said restrictions recur every season, so developers should plan for them. A developer must still show how a specific restriction affected the particular project and the particular flat.

The two 2026 orders

• Order dated 29 September 2026: The buyer signed an agreement for sale in June 2023 with possession due by 30 September 2023. HARERA rejected a pandemic-based extension because the contract was made after the pandemic had begun.
• Order dated 8 October 2026: The buyer booked a Phase I apartment in August 2020 and signed the agreement for sale on 5 November 2020, with a possession deadline of 30 September 2022. HARERA refused an extra COVID-19 extension on the same ground, that the agreement was signed after the pandemic had begun.

The names of the buyers and the complaint numbers have not been published in the reports reviewed, and the full text of the orders is not yet publicly available in the sources used for this story.

A contrasting case

Reports also describe a buyer whose agreement was signed in December 2018. That buyer received a COVID-19 extension, which moved the possession deadline from 30 September 2023 to 30 March 2024. The difference between the cases turns on when the agreement was signed relative to the start of the pandemic.

Earlier Meridien order, December 2025

In December 2025, the Gurugram bench of HARERA directed Godrej Real View Developers to pay interest at 10.8 per cent a year to a buyer couple from Lucknow for delayed possession of a flat in Godrej Meridien-I, Sector 106.

Details from that order: the agreement for sale was executed on 27 September 2019, and Phase I possession was fixed for 30 September 2020. After COVID-19 relief, the revised due date became 30 March 2023. The occupation certificate was obtained on 31 March 2023, and physical possession was handed over on 27 November 2024.

In that order, the authority examined the promoter's explanation, which cited nationwide lockdowns, labour shortages, cost escalation and repeated pollution-linked construction bans in the NCR. It rejected the claim that these events justified further delay, and said seasonal pollution-related curbs were foreseeable.

Background on COVID and pollution relief

A separate HARERA order in a different complaint, for Millennia in Sector 37D, records that the authority granted a six-month extension for all ongoing projects by an order dated 26 May 2020, on account of the first wave of COVID-19. The same order records that during 12 April 2021 to 24 July 2021 (103 days), each activity, including construction, was banned in the State.

These findings relate to statewide relief in that case. They are not findings about Godrej Meridien, but they show the scale of the bans that developers have cited.

What it means for buyers

The rulings suggest that a general reference to pollution bans or the pandemic is not enough on its own to justify delay. Developers are expected to show how a restriction affected the specific project.

• Check the possession clause in your own agreement for sale and the date it was signed.
• Ask the developer for a written delay explanation and a revised possession date, with the regulatory basis for it.
• Keep written records of all communications.
• Verify the project's RERA registration details directly with the regulator. Public listings give conflicting registration numbers and possession dates for this project.

Remedies depend on the agreement and the facts of each case. Buyers may seek interest, compensation or a refund, but no remedy is automatic.

For investors

A delay can disrupt plans for a family home or for rental income. Buyers paying a home loan while waiting for possession may also keep paying rent. Investors may need to revise rental or resale timelines for units in delayed phases.

Developer response and what comes next

According to press reports, a Godrej spokesperson disagreed with the 8 October 2026 order after a preliminary review. The company said it would consider legal remedies, including an appeal before the Haryana Real Estate Appellate Tribunal.

As of 30 October 2026, no appeal filing, hearing date or appeal outcome has been reported. The complaints and the interest payable under the December 2025 order are also open matters.

Related Godrej rulings

• Godrej Nature Plus, Sohna: In July 2026, HARERA directed Godrej Highview to hand over possession of a unit and pay statutory delay-possession interest until handover. The allottees had paid about ₹89.3 lakh against a total consideration of around ₹1.2 crore.
• Godrej Sector 63A: Godrej Properties disclosed a land acquisition in Sector 63A, Golf Course Extension Road, in March 2026. No launch, price or registration has been announced.

Project and location context

Godrej Meridien is on the Dwarka Expressway in Sector 106, Gurugram. Project listings describe 14.8 acres, seven towers and up to 34 floors, with 2, 3 and 4 BHK homes. Listings give conflicting price bands, so buyers should check current prices directly with the developer.

The nearest operating metro station is Dwarka Sector 21, roughly 20 minutes away. A proposed metro line along the Dwarka Expressway and the Southern Peripheral Road are both mentioned in planning reports, but no completion dates have been confirmed.

The Haryana government has moved to curb pollution in Gurugram, Rewari, Nuh and Mahendragarh ahead of winter, requiring construction and industrial sites to submit weekly compliance reports.