Auction purchase of flat through RCS-appointed Administrator creates a fiduciary obligation to regularize membership and title.

The Petitioner, a 66-year-old senior citizen, purchased Flat No. DG-2 in the Pink Cooperative Group Housing Society Ltd. through an open auction in 1999.

The auction was conducted by an Administrator appointed by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS).

The Petitioner paid the full consideration of Rs. 11,00,000, received an allotment letter, and was handed possession in October 1999.

Despite being in possession for over 25 years, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) failed to execute the lease deed because the Petitioner’s name was absent from the list of members recommended by the RCS in 2016.

The RCS contended that the flat might have been part of unauthorized construction exceeding permitted limits.

The Court applied the principle of fiduciary responsibility and the doctrine of bona fide entitlement.

It emphasized that under the Delhi Cooperative Societies Act, 1972 (and the subsequent 2003 Act/2007 Rules), the RCS and the Society have a duty to protect the interests of members.

The court relied on the principle that state agencies and statutory bodies (like the RCS and DDA) cannot distance themselves from actions taken by their own appointed Administrators, especially when a third party has acted in good faith and paid valuable consideration.

The Court observed that the Petitioner was a bona fide purchaser who paid her "hard-earned money" in an auction supervised by a state-appointed official (the Administrator).

It rejected the RCS’s technical objection regarding "extra flats," noting that the auction happened 30 years ago and transparency was maintained via public bids.

The Court highlighted the "fiduciary responsibility" of the RCS, reasoning that since the Administrator—an appointee of the RCS—conducted the auction, the RCS and the Society are obligated to ensure the regularization.

Given that the Society filed an affidavit supporting the Petitioner and the DDA raised no specific objection to unauthorized construction in its pleadings, there was no legal impediment to finalizing the allotment.

The RCS is ordered to recommend the Petitioner’s name to the DDA by August 20, 2026, and the DDA is directed to execute the lease deed and make the final allotment by September 30, 2026.

The Court directed the Petitioner and the Society to appear before the RCS on July 22, 2026, for document verification; the Society was further directed to officially endorse the Petitioner’s membership under the Delhi Cooperative Societies Act.