19 Maha Housing Societies Get Notice Over Denying Membership To Non-Catholics

As many as 19 co-operative housing societies in Maharashtra’s Palghar district have received notices from the Sub-Registrar’s Office on charges of religion-based discrimination. The notices were served after the Sub-Registrar’s Office received a complaint stating that these housing societies were preventing non-Catholics from renting and purchasing units. These co-operative housing societies, which are a part of the Citizen Housing Complex at Naigaon, also allegedly refused membership to such people.

The 19 societies consist of a total of 57 wings, having 912 flats and were constructed almost 15 years ago.

According to the Maharashtra Co-Operative Housing Societies Act, 1960, “no society shall, without sufficient cause, refuse admission to membership to any person duly qualified therefore under the provisions of this Act and its bye-laws”. The co-operative society laws also state that individuals cannot be barred from entering into a housing society on the basis of their caste, community, food preference or any other ground.

Seeking their responses over the complaint, the Sub-Registrar’s Office has warned the societies of action under the provisions of the above-mentioned Act.

"We would like to wait for a few more days. After that we will initiate action under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Co-Op Housing Societies Act," an official told media.

The law also states that the SRO must be dispose of such cases within three months of receiving the complaint.

Experts are, however, of the opinion that laws in this regard are simply palliative. According to them, housing societies often discriminate using absurd reasons without specifying the real cause.

While it is quite difficult to have clear estimates of discrimination in housing markets, even more difficult is the task to do something about it ─ owners and landlords can offer some reason or the other for denying space to groups they don't approve of. Forcing landlords to not discriminate would lead to greater antipathy between landlords and tenants. Also, the restrictions landlords would impose if they were forced not to discriminate, might eventually lead to the tenant leaving the house.

The problem goes way deeper than this.

Rent control laws, for example, in a way provide landlords the liberty to discriminate against people they do not like. If rents are set way below market levels as is the case in India where archaic legislation are still in place, landlords have little incentive to rent out their houses against their wish.