Pune Developer Amol Ajit Ravetkar Fined Rs 1.65 Lakh Across 11 Projects: MahaRERA Cracks Down on Advertising Violations
Pune, 14th June 2026: In a major regulatory sweep to enforce transparency and compliance in real estate marketing, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) Pune Bench has penalised prominent developer Amol Ajit Ravetkar a cumulative total of Rs 1,65,000 (Rupees One Lakh Sixty-Five Thousand).
The orders, passed on June 9, 2026, by Shri. Jayant B. Dandegaonkar, Deputy Secretary of MahaRERA Pune, concluded 11 unique suo motu cases registered against the developer. The regulatory action follows the publication of misleading advertisements that breached the authority’s stringent guidelines on the visibility of registration details and QR codes.
The Core Violations: Font Sizes and QR Code Layouts
The regulatory action was triggered by a multi-colour, full-page advertisement showcasing six of the promoter’s ongoing residential projects. This ad was published on February 25, 2026, in two leading Marathi daily newspapers, Sakal and Loksatta.
Upon perusing the advertisements, MahaRERA found the developer in clear breach of directions issued under MahaRERA Order No. 46C/2025 (dated April 8, 2025). The violations spanned two main areas:
- Clause (a) – Website Visibility Mismatch (All 11 Cases):
MahaRERA regulations mandate that the font size of the MahaRERA registration number and website address (www.maharera.maharashtra.gov.in) must be equal to or larger than the largest font size used for the project’s contact details (phone numbers, addresses) in the advertisement. In all 11 cases, the developer printed the MahaRERA website address in an illegibly small font. - Clause (c) – Incorrect QR Code Placement (Specific Projects):
MahaRERA guidelines dictate that Quick Response (QR) codes must be displayed legibly and positioned in the top-right quadrant of the advertisement to allow direct software scanning. For the projects Nivedita and Aditi, the developer erroneously positioned the QR codes in the top-left quadrant, in direct defiance of the mandated layout rules.
Developer’s Defense and RERA’s Ruling
In response to the show-cause notices issued under Section 63 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the representative for the promoter, Chartered Accountant Mr. Brij Phule, argued that the font mismatch was an “inadvertent printing error” and occurred without “any malafide intention.” The promoter requested a lenient view and prayed that the authority refrain from imposing heavy financial penalties.
However, Deputy Secretary Dandegaonkar rejected the plea for a complete waiver. He observed that the charges of regulatory non-compliance were clearly proven by the physical advertisements on record.
Given that the multi-project advertisement layout simultaneously impacted six different real estate registrations, the authority ruled that a penalty of Rs 15,000 per project violation would serve the ends of justice.
Escalating Penalties and Strict Processing Embargos
The official orders carry strict enforcement clauses designed to deter future negligence:
- Doubling of Fines: The developer is ordered to deposit the penalty within 15 days of the order. If the developer fails to pay within this window, the penalty amount will automatically double (to Rs 30,000 per case), capped at a maximum statutory limit of Rs 50,000 per violation.
- Prosecution Action: Continued non-payment exceeding three months will empower MahaRERA to initiate further criminal or legal action under the RERA Act, 2016, without further notice.
- Administrative Freeze: In a crucial procedural embargo, MahaRERA’s Technical and Finance Departments have been directed not to process any future applications—including project extensions, corrections, or name changes—pertaining to these projects until the promoter submits authenticated proof of penalty payment.
Master Summary of Penalties and Cases
The authority issued eleven distinct suo motu orders across the developer’s multi-project portfolios, distinctively divided by their publication channels. Five of these regulatory cases arose from the advertisements featured in the daily newspaper Loksatta on February 25, 2026. Among these, the project Aditi (Case No. SM12600264, Registration No. P52100050632) and the project Nivedita (Case No. SM12600261, Registration No. PR1260002500589) were each fined Rs 15,000 for dual violations of both Clause (a) and Clause (c) due to small website font sizes and a misplaced QR code. The remaining three cases in Loksatta resulted in Rs 15,000 penalties solely under Clause (a) for small website font sizes: Shivsudha (Case No. SM12600263, Registration No. PR1260002501282), Suman (Case No. SM12600266, Registration No. P52100054831), and Shri Keshavlaxmi (Case No. SM12600265, Registration No. P52100053892).
An additional six orders were handed down for identical layout failures in advertisements published in the daily newspaper Sakal on the same date. Similar to the previous newspaper set, the projects Aditi (Case No. SM12600258, Registration No. P52100050632) and Nivedita (Case No. SM12600255, Registration No. PR1260002500589) attracted penalties of Rs 15,000 each for combined Clause (a) and Clause (c) violations, owing to both small website fonts and a misplaced QR code. The other four projects in Sakal were fined Rs 15,000 each under Clause (a) for failing to maintain correct website font visibilities: Shivsudha (Case No. SM12600257, Registration No. PR1260002501282), Suman (Case No. SM12600260, Registration No. P52100054831), Shri Keshavlaxmi (Case No. SM12600259, Registration No. P52100053892), and Swargandha (Case No. SM12600256, Registration No. P52100046968).
These eleven fines bring the total regulatory penalty imposed on the promoter for this single layout oversight to Rs 1,65,000.
