'RWAs will be wary before issuing illogical diktats now'

'Now that residents know courts are willing to listen, it will change things'

'I don’t see this becoming a norm since most people in Gurgaon don't have the time to move court'

'We never complain because we will be told, ‘Problem hai toh khali kar do'

'I had no clue we could move court for this’

'Although such court orders give hope, there are way too many layers'

Gurgaon's Essel Towers residential society has been in the news several times over the last few months. In April, the RWA there had 'banned' guests of the opposite sex from visiting the houses of single residents, leading to much uproar. Then, earlier this month, another controversy had erupted when a video of a fight between residents and RWA members over certain rules was uploaded on social media. In the video, RWA members accused certain single residents of "supporting prostitution." Last week, a corporate replacement and accommodation agency filed a case against the RWA of Pilot Court society in Essel Towers for imposing rules restricting movement of their clients and guests of clients. Residents say that the RWA lifted the ban after the controversy, while the case was still in court. On August 17, the court of senior civil judge Amit Nain issued an ex parte stay on the RWA orders that restricted entry of guests to the society, stating that "such conditions can in no way be imposed upon legal rights of individuals, which are otherwise guaranteed to them under the law of the land."Residents across NCR say that this ruling sets a great precedent in their fight against the often illogical diktats given by RWAs. They add that now, if they are harassed, they know they have the option of going to court.Ridhi Khurana, resident of a society on Sohna Road, says, "It is, of course, a wonderful precedent. Like they saw, the law works on precedents. Now, the RWAs know what the court’s stand is when it comes to these illogical diktats. So they will hopefully be wary before issuing more of them. In fact, I’m sure that in the coming days, we will see quite a few RWAs rolling back some of their restrictive rules because of this."Manish Rajpoot, who lives in an apartment complex in Delhi’s Mayur Vihar , says, "Most people fear going to the court feeling it is a long-drawn process but if a decision or stay can be given this quickly, then more people will be encouraged to do so. RWAs across NCR issue several strange rules, ranging from what guests you are allowed to have to what time you can party. They are against our fundamental rights. Now that the residents know the courts are willing to listen to them, it will change things."However, not all are very optimistic about the kind of impact the ruling will have, saying it’s too soon to take a call on that. Paarkhi Mehrotra, a former resident of Essel Towers says, "It's a good move that people went to the court and got their problem resolved. It might deter RWAs and homeowners from issuing senseless diktats. However, it’s too soon to say what impact it will have. I don’t see this becoming a norm, because while the residents of Essel Tower are aggressive and can go to court, most corporate employees in Gurgaon might not take this route if this happens to them."Residents have a tendency of not complaining against the RWA because they think that if they do so, they’ll be asked to vacate the flat.Poornima Banerjee, who works with a Delhi Walks group and lives in Jamia Nagar, says, "I had to change three apartments because of the RWA diktats. Essel Tower's issue was highlighted but there are a number of bizarre rules imposed by RWA's and residents and tenants don't complain because the landlord might say, 'Problem hai toh khali kar do'. We can’t take any action because it’s a long process and you can never be sure if the ruling will be in your favour.Meenal Singh, a banker, who lives in a society in Sector 62 Noida, says, "I had no clue that a resident can actually go to court and file a case against RWA members.Whenever there is a tussle between me and the RWA, I prefer moving out because it is not worth my time to engage with them. But now that the stay has come so fast, I think it’s worth taking it up. At least, after this case, more residents can stand up against an RWA and say, ‘See you in court’."Amitabh Sinha, who works in an NGO in Vasant Kunj , tells us, "I had to move out of a society in Ghaziabad after some of the RWA members complained to my landlord that they were not comfortable with women visiting me. So my landlord asked me to vacate the house. Most of the time in societies, if the RWA doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, they contact the landlords. Sometimes, even when the landlord is in your favour, he refuses to go against the RWA. Although such court orders give hope, there are way too many layers and I don’t think it will change the mindset of RWAs. However, it might instill fear in them."