MahaRERA Fines Akola Developer ₹10,000 For Blurred RERA Number And QR Code In Newspaper Advertisement

The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority's (MahaRERA) Nagpur Bench has imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on a real estate developer after holding that a newspaper advertisement carried mandatory RERA details in a manner that “appears blur and beyond recognition”, defeating the very purpose of statutory disclosure for homebuyers.

The order was passed by Deputy Secretary Sanjay Bhimanwar, who underlined that disclosure under the law is not a formality that can be met by barely inserting information.

Referring to Section 11(2) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the Authority said the law requires promoters to clearly and prominently disclose key information in advertisements, including the Authority's website address, so that buyers can access full details of the registered project.

The developer involved is Pankaj Rameshchandra Kothari, promoter of a registered housing project called Lotus Green in Akola.

After an advertisement titled 'Hello Akola, Akola' for a registered real estate project named 'Lotus Green' was published on Marthi daily Lokmat on March 29, 2025, MahaRERA took up the issue on its own and issued a show cause notice to the developer.

In his reply and during the hearing, the developer said that the MahaRERA registration number and QR code had been included in the advertisement but explained that because the advertisement was small in size, these details were also reduced.

He apologized and assured the authority that all future advertisements would prominently display MahaRERA project details, in line with the regulations.The authority rejected this explanation, noting that the registration number and QR code in the advertisement appeared blurred and illegible, and therefore could not be considered compliant.It recorded that the developer had failed to incorporate a “legible/readable/ detectable” QR Code and had also failed to mention the MahaRERA website address.

Consequently, the authority imposed a penalty of Rs 10 thousand on the promoter. It also directed MahaRERA's Technical and Finance Department to confirm the receipt of the fine before processing further project-related applications, such as requests for extensions or corrections.

Case Title: MahaRERA v. Pankaj Rameshchandra Kothari

Citation: 2026 LLBiz RERA (MH) 11

Complaint No.: Suo Motu Advertisement Complaint No. SM12500151

Appearances: Pankaj Rameshchandra Kothari, Promoter (in person)

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