Amrapali Homebuyers Left in Limbo Amid Ongoing Legal Battles

Amrapali Homebuyers Face Endless Ordeal in Search of Homes

Over 42,000 homebuyers in Noida and Greater Noida have been left in the lurch, struggling for years to get possession of the homes they paid for in various projects of the Amrapali Group. These homebuyers, many of whom invested their life savings, were cheated out of their hard-earned money and are now caught in an unending battle for justice.

In 2018, the Supreme Court appointed the National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd (NBCC) to complete the stalled projects of the Group. However, even after this intervention, thousands of buyers are still waiting for their promised flats, with no end to their ordeal in sight.

Indresh Gupta, a founding member of the Noida Extension Flat Owners’ Welfare Association (NEFOWA), is among the thousands of homebuyers who have been left in despair after investing in the Group’s housing projects. Gupta had booked a flat in Amrapali Dream Valley in 2011, yet more than 13 years later, he is still waiting for possession of his home.

“People like us have paid 90 percent of the money. But we have not got our homes,” Gupta told The Probe. “After NBCC’s involvement, though some people got relief, as on date about 25,000 people are yet to get their homes. The builder, after committing such a huge fraud, just claimed that he has no

Amrapali Homebuyers Face Endless Ordeal in Search of Homes

Over 42,000 homebuyers in Noida and Greater Noida have been left in the lurch, struggling for years to get possession of the homes they paid for in various projects of the Amrapali Group. These homebuyers, many of whom invested their life savings, were cheated out of their hard-earned money and are now caught in an unending battle for justice.

In 2018, the Supreme Court appointed the National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd (NBCC) to complete the stalled projects of the Group. However, even after this intervention, thousands of buyers are still waiting for their promised flats, with no end to their ordeal in sight.

Indresh Gupta, a founding member of the Noida Extension Flat Owners’ Welfare Association (NEFOWA), is among the thousands of homebuyers who have been left in despair after investing in the Group’s housing projects. Gupta had booked a flat in Amrapali Dream Valley in 2011, yet more than 13 years later, he is still waiting for possession of his home.

“People like us have paid 90 percent of the money. But we have not got our homes,” Gupta told The Probe. “After NBCC’s involvement, though some people got relief, as on date about 25,000 people are yet to get their homes. The builder, after committing such a huge fraud, just claimed that he has no money and is bankrupt. Because of that, all his cases became null and void. So, who will compensate the homebuyers?” he asks.

According to Gupta, the root cause of this crisis lies in the GNIDA Builder Land Allotment Scheme, a flawed policy introduced by the government. “Around 2010, the scheme allowed builders to pay only 10 percent of the land price initially to the Authority, with the remaining amount payable in installments over time. The builders exploited this policy to acquire vast land parcels,” Gupta explains.

This low upfront payment requirement, Gupta states, led to financial mismanagement and over-leveraging by developers. “Many builders defaulted on the payment of subsequent installments, causing project delays and leaving thousands of homebuyers in great distress,” he adds.

Anil Kumar Sharma, the former Director of the Amrapali Group, was jailed for his role in one of the most notorious cases of financial fraud and mismanagement in the Indian real estate sector. Sharma has been accused of defrauding thousands of homebuyers who had invested their life savings in the Group's various housing projects, only to be left with unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams.

Among those affected is Nitin Srivastava, a buyer under the Amrapali Adarsh Awas Yojana, a project that was marketed as an affordable housing scheme aimed at middle-class families. Srivastava describes the ordeal as devastating. “The builder may be out of his legal entanglements in a few years, but people like us have lost our entire life savings,” he states.

Explaining the extent of the mismanagement, Srivastava highlighted how the builder launched unauthorised towers from H2 to W2 without securing government approval. “Banks disbursed loans for these unauthorised towers, but later discovered they were not approved by the government. Then the builder tried to shift buyers to other approved towers. We didn’t agree to this and demanded refunds instead. I am one among the 1,200 buyers under the scheme who have been promised refunds, but there is no clarity on when we will get our money back,” he adds.

Srivastava further expressed the financial and emotional toll the buyers have endured. “We homebuyers have paid money to the builder, we are paying interest on loans to banks, and yet we have neither received our flats nor our refunds,” he says. 

Another project, La Residentia project, once advertised as a dream destination for homebuyers, has turned into yet another nightmare in this real estate quagmire. Despite assurances from Sanjeev Kumar, one of the project’s directors, that all flats would be delivered within 24 months—a commitment made during The Probe’s coverage in 2022—the promise remains unfulfilled. Homebuyers continue to grapple with broken assurances, mounting financial burdens, and a seemingly endless legal battle.

S.C. Mittal, Secretary of the Amrapali La Residentia Flat Buyer Welfare Association, detailed his personal ordeal. “I had booked my flat in May 2013 for ₹68 lakhs. By 2016, I had already paid ₹56 lakhs, which was 80 percent of the cost. This included ₹15 lakhs taken as a loan and ₹6 lakhs paid in interest. Altogether, I paid ₹62 lakhs for a flat that was supposed to be delivered between 2016 and 2017,” states Mittal.

He explains how the project’s ownership details emerged only after the case reached the Supreme Court. “It was a joint project between Amrapali Group and La Residentia, with the former holding around 20 percent stake only. However, we homebuyers were unaware of this and were led to believe the entire project was under the Group's banner. The marketing efforts, including endorsements by celebrities like M.S. Dhoni inspired confidence, and many people, including me, invested heavily. But when the case surfaced in court around 2016, construction abruptly stopped. Even today, my flat’s structure hasn’t been erected. This is the sorry state of affairs,” he laments.

Mittal further shares his protracted legal struggle to reclaim his investment. “In 2022, we approached RERA, which ruled in August 2023 that the builder must either deliver the flats or refund the buyers with interest. By December 2023, RERA issued a recovery certificate through the District Magistrate (DM) directing the builder to repay. I was supposed to receive ₹1.03 crore, but I only got ₹30 lakhs after filing numerous complaints and following up with the DM and ADM. In April 2024, the Allahabad High Court directed the DM to ensure full recovery within 60 days. By June, I received another ₹20 lakhs, taking my total to ₹50 lakhs—still far from the promised amount,” he explained.

Mittal emphasises the relentless effort required to recover even partial payments. “I had to keep visiting courts and meeting officials to get even this much. Most other buyers haven’t received a single penny and continue to move from pillar to post. It’s a harrowing ordeal that shows no signs of resolution,” he rues. 

Ramesh Agnihotri, President of the Amrapali La Residentia Flat Buyers Welfare Association, shares his decade-long struggle to secure a promised home. “My wife and I booked a flat in March 2011, and we were supposed to get possession in 2014. Now, it has been more than a decade, and we still haven’t received possession. They claim the flat is ready, but they are yet to provide the OC (Occupancy Certificate) for the flat,” claims Agnihotri. He adds that nearly 2,000 buyers remain affected by this stalled project.

When The Probe approached UP Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) for clarity, its Chairman Sanjay Bhoosreddy stated that the matter is currently under the jurisdiction of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court has completely taken over the matter. RERA and other authorities will abide by the final decision of the apex court,” Bhoosreddy stated.

On the builder’s side, Mohammed Ghayasuddin Khan, lawyer for former Group's Director Anil Sharma, also pointed to the ongoing legal proceedings. “The matter is in the Supreme Court, which has taken charge of the issue. Nothing is in our hands at this point,” said Khan.

When asked about the misappropriation of funds, Khan remained noncommittal. “Wherever the money has gone, it will be the Supreme Court that decides. We must wait for the court’s decision,” he said, offering no clarity on the fate of the homebuyers’ investments.

The Amrapali situation reveals the immense helplessness of homebuyers, many of whom have waited over a decade for a resolution. While courts and regulatory bodies deliberate, buyers like Agnihotri remain in limbo, caught in a web of bureaucratic delays and legal complexities. For the tens of thousands of affected homebuyers, the dream of owning a home remains as elusive as ever.