New Delhi, May 1 -- When a Supreme Court judge calls the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) a "rehab centre for ex-bureaucrats," it's a wake-up call. Justice Surya Kant's blunt remark in March isn't the judiciary's first indictment and likely won't be the last.

Insiders have been sounding the alarm for years. Former Uttar Pradesh RERA member Balvinder Kumar admitted the authority lacks teeth to rein in rogue builders. Haryana's adjudicating officer Rajender Kumar called it a "toothless tiger." Even Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri criticized states in 2022 for weakening the law and diluting its core purpose: protecting homebuyers.

Now comes a shiny new infotech initiative: a unified digital platform for all state RERAs. It sounds ...