NCDRC sets aside plot order against Ghaziabad Development Authority, cites forgery dispute

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) on 12 October 2026 set aside two lower consumer commission orders that had directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to hand over a residential plot in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad. It held that a dispute turning on alleged forgery and title to property must go to a civil court, not a consumer commission. The complaint was dismissed with liberty to approach the competent civil court.

What Happened

Per the order, an original allottee was allotted a GDA plot in Kaushambi in the late 1980s. In 1997 the GDA executed a registered sale deed for the plot in favour of a co-applicant, relying on letters and affidavits it said the original allottee had signed. The allottee's heirs alleged that those documents were forged and sought the plot through a consumer complaint.

In 2019 the district commission in Ghaziabad ordered the GDA to execute a sale deed in the heirs' favour, or give a same-size plot nearby, and to pay Rs 50,000 compensation and Rs 5,000 costs. In 2023 the Uttar Pradesh State Commission removed the compensation but kept the plot direction.

The NCDRC held that the case involved "highly disputed questions of fact" on fraud, forgery, disputed signatures and title. It noted that the person holding the sale deed was not a party to the complaint, and that a handwriting expert's report had been based on photocopies. Citing the Supreme Court, it said consumer commissions decide cases in summary proceedings and cannot rule on such questions. It clarified that it expressed no opinion on whether the documents were genuine or on the validity of the sale deed.

What It Means

Consumer commissions are a quicker, cheaper route for complaints about deficient service, such as delayed possession or refunds. This order shows their limits: where a claim depends on proving fraud or forgery, or on cancelling a registered sale deed held by someone else, the commission may decline to decide it and send the parties to a civil court. The order may be appealed. For ordinary service complaints against a builder or authority, the National Consumer Helpline (1915) and the e-Daakhil portal remain the official channels.

Source: Consumer commission order