For Deepak Tijori, 2024 ended on a positive note. He was waging a battle against his residential building, Garden Estate Co-operative Society Ltd, Goregaon West, for almost 12 years and it finally came to an end, resulting in his victory. The actor-filmmaker, in 2012, had objected to the Management Committee’s decision to levy maintenance fee even before the society was formed. Despite Deepak Tijori bringing an order from the P Ward of BMC that the society has no right to charge him the said amount, the Management Committee continued to ask for clearance of dues and also put undue pressure on him.
But on December 16, 2024, the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, P Division, Mumbai, rejected the directive of Garden Estate Co-operative Society Ltd. In its observation, it noted that the society lacked a detailed statement of accounts, making it impossible to verify the overdue amounts or interest. Further, it made it clear that society had charged maintenance fees for a period before its registration, which is not permissible. It also reiterated that the society did not ensure proportional allocation of maintenance charges as per the Model Bylaws, further weakening its case.
Bollywood Hungama is in possession of the copy signed by Bajrang Jadhav, Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies, which absolves Deepak Tijori and Shivani Tijori of all allegations.
Deepak Tijori’s version
When contacted, Deepak Tijori told Bollywood Hungama that he had indeed won the battle. He said, “In every second residential society, this is happening. Unfortunately, the Management Committee has become so boisterous. They make their own rules and don’t follow the by-laws. I was fortunate that I knew about the laws.”
He shared his version, “I started living in Garden Estate in 2010. As per the by-laws, a resident can be asked to pay the maintenance once the society is formed and registered. But when I moved in, the society was not formed and yet, the maintenance was charged. When I asked the Management Committee about it, they said they are taking an amount randomly and it’ll be adjusted later on once the society is formed. Based on this explanation, I gave them the amount for more than 1 ½ years. In 2012, I told them that I’d no longer pay until they didn’t clear the issue. That’s when the argument between us started.”
He revealed, “They put me on the front page of newspapers and spread stories that due to my bad behaviour, I am being thrown out of the building. That battle is still going on against me and those in the media, who spread the one-sided story.”
Deepak continued, “My building comes under BMC’s P Ward. In 2013, I went to its office. The registrar, Mr Rajendra Veer, was very nice. As soon as he heard my story, he knew I was right. In 2014, he sent a letter to the society by post. I also submitted it to them. But the Management Committee did not do anything about it. However, they ignored it citing that it’s not an order, it’s just a letter!”
He then said, “Hence, I went back to the P Ward and met Mr Veer. I requested him to give them an order. This was in 2015 when he passed the order that the Management Committee needed to rectify my bill as per the by-laws. They did not give a damn to the notice as if they didn’t care what these laws were. They said on a piece of paper that what they say is right. I was like, ‘Are you serious?’!”
Deepak Tijori further stated, “They started sending me letters about accumulated interest. I was also blacklisted in the society. In 2017, I made them a request to sit across the table and find a solution. They assured me that they’ll do so but it never happened.”
During the pandemic, his woes increased. He said, “During COVID time in 2020, they complained to the P Ward about me and that I have not been paying dues, keeping them ignorant about my 2014 order. And you won’t believe, they got the recovery department involved. So, the idea was to attach my flat in case I don’t pay the dues. The recovery person, Madhavi Jagtap, went overboard and beyond her duties. She seemed hand in gloves with the Management Committee to usurp money from me. I tried to make her understand about the issue and by-laws. But it fell on deaf ears.”
And that’s not all as Tijori continued, “They even froze my bank account. Madhavi Jagtap told the Society Management Committee to go to the bank and demand my dues. You have no idea how patient I have been. They did everything possible under the sun to malign me and put me down. If I could be put through this, I wonder what other people fighting the Management Committee must be going through.”
Deepak Tijori, however, continued to fight, “I went to Mr Shinde, in BMC, who was very kind. He was shocked that I was made to go through all this. I was sent to the Deputy District Registrar, Mr Jeble. He looked into the whole detail and realized that the society people are not following the rules. In 2024, I got the order from them to unfreeze my account and to set their books right.”
Deepak Tijori is thankful to all those who helped him in times of need. “I met an advocate, Kirti Nagda, through a common friend,” he said. “He owns the law firm Kirti Nagda & Associates. He helped me a lot with his knowledge of society laws. He assured me not to worry and that my case was very strong. Between 2020 and 2023, I paid my society Rs. 8-9 lakhs when they asked me for an advance. I agreed and yet, they didn’t let go of this case. Mr Kirti Nagda was stunned by this behaviour and concluded that the Management Committee members were behaving as if they were Gods.”
Though the battle is over, Deepak Tijori still hasn’t forgotten the pain. He said, “Not even one person supported me in this whole building. And this is a building which has some 200 flats. So, you can well imagine. If I walked into any society function, they would look at me and think ‘Yeh society ka paisa nahin de raha hai’. That kind of humiliation I have been through.”
Also Read: BREAKING: Deepak Tijori files FIR against producer of Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Bhaiyyaji Vikram Khakhar for allegedly duping him of Rs. 17.50 lakhs
