MUMBAI, Oct. 26 -- The Bombay High Court recently came to the rescue of a Delhi-based company and its director, who had been deprived of ownership rights of two flats in Bandra West that they purchased in an auction sale in April 2007. The court issued orders that would now enable them to utilise the flats. Justice Milind Jadhav recently noted that the company, HV Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, and its director Ajay Kumar Gupta, were deprived of membership of Swapna Safalya Co-operative Housing Society because the latter's secretary and chairman, who had not even participated in the bidding process, claimed ownership of the properties. The company had purchased the flats in an auction sale conducted by the recovery officer of the debt recovery tribunal way back in April 2007, for Rs.13 lakh each. The secretary and chairman of the housing society - Babubhai Khushal Solanki and Dr Yakub N Chikhrodharwala - had thereafter claimed ownership of the flats and also sought recovery of Rs.2 lakh against them. The recovery officer rejected this and handed over flats to the company in November 2007. As the flats were in bad shape, Gupta sought the society's permission to carry out repairs in 2008, but were denied. The society also refused to grant them membership or to transfer them in their name. Thus started the seemingly never-ending litigation, where the company and its director had to file pleas alternately with the recovery officer and the assistant registrar. The society then disconnected electricity and water supply to the flats, and issued an order to evict the auction purchasers from the flats. On December 16, 2019, the assistant registrar of the H West ward rejected Gupta's plea for membership, primarily on the ground that the sale certificate offered by the Debt Recovery Tribunal's recovery officer was stamped but not registered. The court struck down the registars' orders and ordered the society to grant membership to the petitioners and complete the necessary formalities in two weeks. It also ordered the housing society to restore water supply to both the flats in 72 hours and cooperate in restoring electricity supply to the premises....