RERA doing nothing except facilitating defaulting builders: SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday said it is high time all states rethought the constitution of the real estate regulatory authority (RERA) as the institution is doing nothing, except facilitating defaulting builders.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the people for whom RERA was created were "completely depressed, disgusted and disappointed" and asserted that it won't mind if the institution was abolished.

The observations came from the bench, which permitted the Himachal Pradesh government to shift the office of RERA to the place of its choice.

The bench issued notice on a plea filed by the Himachal Pradesh government and others challenging an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in a matter pertaining to the shifting of the state RERA office from Shimla to Dharamshala.

The high court had earlier stayed a June 2025 notification concerning the shifting of RERA office till further order.

Later, in its order passed on December 30, 2025, the high court directed the continuance of the interim order.

The top court stayed the high court's December 30 direction.

"Except facilitating the builders in default, this institution is doing nothing. Better abolish this institution, we don't mind that," the CJI said.

"...high time that all the states should revisit and rethink of even constituting this authority," the bench said.

In its petition filed in the apex court through advocate Sugandha Anand, the state said the decision to shift the Himachal Pradesh RERA office from Shimla to Dharamshala was taken to "decongest" Shimla city, and it was purely on administrative considerations.

Senior advocate Madhavi Divan, appearing for the state, told the bench about the matter and said, "This is about the RERA, which we seek to shift to Dharamshala".