Mumbai: The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has ordered recovery of nearly Rs 90 crore from Honest Shelters Pvt Ltd, the current promoters of the Palais Royale project in Worli, for failing to comply with earlier directives regarding delayed possession of flats. The action follows an execution application filed by IIFL Finance Ltd, which had complained of non-compliance with a January 16 order.

MahaRERA’s adjudicating officer, Ashok Alaspurkar, issued four separate orders directing warrants for recovery of interest payments related to four flats in the project. In addition, recovery orders were also passed for three more flats belonging to IIFL Finance. Collectively, the warrants account for about Rs 90 crore in dues,The orders were issued on different dates, including July 27, July 28 and August 4.

The January 16 order had directed Honest Shelters to hand over possession of IIFL’s flats in the Palais Royale project, pay interest for the delay, and complete pending construction. The order also instructed the official liquidator to hand over flats in his custody to the promoter to ensure completion. However, IIFL Finance reported non-compliance on March 21 and later sought enforcement through MahaRERA, which has now resulted in the latest recovery orders.

Palais Royale, once touted as India’s first super-luxury residential skyscraper, has faced repeated legal, financial and construction setbacks over the years. The towering project, a prominent part of Mumbai’s luxury real estate landscape in Worli, has been mired in disputes, leaving buyers and financiers caught in uncertainty.

With MahaRERA’s latest directives, warrants for recovery empower authorities to initiate proceedings similar to revenue recovery, compelling promoters to meet their obligations. For IIFL Finance, this step secures a path to claim pending interest dues on delayed possession.

For now, Honest Shelters faces mounting scrutiny as enforcement measures move forward, with the fate of the beleaguered Palais Royale project again under the spotlight.

Mumbai: A special POCSO court in Dindoshi sentenced a 50-year-old Malad businessman, who owns an imitation jewellery factory, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor girl from April 2021 to February 2023 on the promise of marriage.

Observation Made By The Court

The Dindoshi court, while convicting the businessman, held that, “it is indigestible that a married man who at the relevant time, which is, from 2021 to 2023, was the father of four children, still enticed the victim expressing his desire to marry with her. This itself goes to show that the accused not only had a culpable mental state of mind but also the accused committed the offence of rape, not on one occasion but repeatedly.”

The court noted that the accused exploited the victim’s minority and her family’s status as his tenants, with her mother working in his factory. “The victim was influenced by the accused to marry her once she attained majority. The innocence of the victim reflects from her understanding that she had no idea about the consequences that the accused is quite older than her, he is already married and has four children,” the court added, noting the victim’s lack of maturity and understanding of reality.

In a separate case, a Thane sessions court sentenced a 35-year-old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, with a Rs 10,000 fine, for raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter in April 2019, along with a one-year sentence under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and a Rs 1,000 fine.

Mumbai: A tragic landslide reported in the early hours of Saturday at Jankalyan Society in Varsha Nagar area of Mumbai’s Vikhroli (West), resulted in the death of two residents. The incident occurred at around 2:39 am when soil and stones loosened from a hilly patch amid heavy rains and collapsed onto a hut situated at the base of the slope. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), which received the first report, immediately mobilised rescue teams along with local police and ward staff to the site.

2 Dead Among 4 Trapped In Debris

The hut, belonging to a family in the area, was badly crushed under the debris. Four members of the Mishra family were trapped and later rushed to Rajawadi Hospital by emergency responders. According to hospital authorities, two of the victims succumbed to their injuries before admission.

The deceased were identified as 19-year-old Shalu Mishra and 50-year-old Suresh Mishra. Two others, 45-year-old Aarti Mishra and 20-year-old Ruturaj Mishra, sustained serious injuries but were reported to be stable after being admitted to the trauma ward.

The tragic incident has once again brought focus on the vulnerability of informal settlements located at the base of hills and slopes across Mumbai, particularly during the monsoon season. Civic officials confirmed that the land where the incident occurred belongs to the collector and is classified as high-risk for landslides. Each year, warnings are issued for residents in these zones, but relocation remains a persistent challenge due to population density and housing shortages in the city.

Mumbai Lashed By Heavy Rains, Red Alert Issued

Meanwhile, heavy and relentless rainfall lashed Mumbai overnight and continued into the morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an red alert for Mumbai on August 16, forecasting heavy to very heavy showers at isolated places. The neighbouring Raigad district has also been placed under a red alert, with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in some areas.

As the city braced itself for a wet weekend, the overnight rain led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas, including Sion, Kings Circle, Bandra, Vile Parle and Andheri. However, train and road movement remained mostly functional with delays.