News that matter for NRI property owners

Timely, sourced updates for NRIs who own property in India: the RBI and FEMA circulars, tax and TDS changes, court rulings, and state property news that actually touch your flat, and what each one does and does not change. We report the news; we do not give legal or tax advice.

• ITAT Mumbai Sends Back a Tax Bill That Gave an NRI's Inherited Land a Cost of Zero (14 Oct 2026). ITAT Mumbai, 12 Oct 2026: a non-resident's ₹5.17 crore inherited land sale, taxed at nil cost, goes back to the officer to test the farm-land claim.
• Living in the UK Does Not Shut an Heir Out of Her Father's Delhi House, High Court Says (11 Oct 2026). Delhi High Court, 5 Oct 2026: living in the UK does not by itself shut an heir out of her late father's house. Access to the first floor pending partition.
• Heirs Living Abroad Cannot Be Turned Away for Lack of a Local Address, Kerala High Court Tells a Village Officer (10 Oct 2026). Kerala High Court, 6 Oct 2026: a village officer cannot refuse heirs living in Britain and France for lack of a local address. Apply through counsel or a POA.
• An NRI Sold Inherited Land for ₹35 Crore. ITAT Chennai Kept Her Valuer's 2001 Figure Over the Department's (10 Oct 2026). ITAT Chennai, 7 Oct 2026: on a ₹35 crore sale of inherited land, a non-resident's registered valuer figure for 1 April 2001 stands over the DVO's.
• An NRI Sold a Property and Filed No Return. ITAT Chennai Deleted the 200% Penalty, Because the Notice Named No Charge (9 Oct 2026). ITAT Chennai, 6 Oct 2026: a ₹16.34 lakh misreporting penalty on a non-resident's ₹1.02 crore property sale is deleted because the notice named no clause.
• ₹44 Lakh in Cash for a Bangalore Flat: ITAT Sends the Tax Addition Back, Because the Proof Came Too Late (8 Oct 2026). ITAT Bangalore, 29 Sep 2026: a ₹23 lakh Section 69 addition on a cash-funded Malleswaram flat goes back to the officer, as source proof came late.
• RBI Raises the Repo Rate to 5.50%: What It Means for an NRI Home Loan (8 Oct 2026). The RBI raised the repo rate 25 bps to 5.50% on 7 October 2026 and moved to calibrated tightening. What it means for an NRI with a floating home loan.
• A New York Grandson Sued for His Share of 44 Pusa Road. The Delhi High Court Sent the Family Deal to Trial. (7 Oct 2026). Delhi High Court, 29 Sep 2026: a New York grandson suing for a share of 44 Pusa Road is refused judgment on admission. The 1963 family deal goes to trial.
• A Canada Co-Owner's Two Attorneys Lodged Two Sale Deeds. The Delhi High Court Let the Buyer's Suit Run. (7 Oct 2026). Delhi High Court, 30 Sep 2026: suits to buy undivided shares in a Delhi house go to trial after a Canada co-owner's two attorneys lodged rival sale deeds.
• A Buyer Got TDS Wrong on a Property Deal. In Two ITAT Orders, the Seller's Form 26A Decided the Outcome. (6 Oct 2026). ITAT Chennai (28 Sep 2026) and ITAT Jodhpur (29 Sep 2026) on buyers who got TDS wrong on a property deal. Form 26A and the seller's return decided both.
• A Brother Abroad Wanted the Family House Sold at Today's Price. The Madras High Court Threw Out the 2022 Valuation. (6 Oct 2026). Madras High Court, 28 September 2026: a 2022 valuation of an inherited Coimbatore property is set aside. Fresh valuation, family auction, emails from abroad.
• A US-Based NRI Was Taxed on His Whole Ahmedabad Flat Without a Hearing. The Tribunal Has Sent It Back. (5 Oct 2026). ITAT Ahmedabad, 30 September 2026: a US-based NRI assessed ex parte on a Rs 1 crore flat gets a fresh hearing. Notices went to an email he says was not his.
• CBDT Moves the Audit-Case Return Date to 21 November 2026. Most NRI Owners Are Not in That Group (4 Oct 2026). CBDT Circular 07/2026 of 28 September moves the audit-case ITR date to 21 November 2026 and the audit report to 21 October. NRIs filing ITR-2 are not covered.
• An NRI Sold His Thane Flat Ten Days After Registration. The Tax Tribunal Said He Had Held It Since 2011. (4 Oct 2026). ITAT Surat, 29 September 2026: an NRI who sold a Thane flat ten days after registration held it from the 2011 allotment letter. Long-term gain restored.
• A Tenant's Unregistered 2005 Agreement Could Not Change Her Registered 1977 Lease, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Held (4 Oct 2026). Punjab and Haryana HC, 23 September 2026: an unregistered 2005 document did not give a Rohtak tenant the gates the registered 1977 lease withheld.
• He Said He Was in the US and Never Got the Summons. The Madras High Court Said That Argument Was Already Lost. (2 Oct 2026). Madras HC, 25 September 2026: an owner in Houston said he was abroad and never served. That plea was already lost. Execution in two months.
• The Tenants Said He Lived Abroad and Did Not Need the Building. The Patna High Court Upheld His Eviction Decree. (2 Oct 2026). Patna HC, 29 September 2026: tenants said the owner lived abroad and in Patna. Rent taken after the lease ended did not renew it. Eviction upheld.
• Delhi Opens SUNIYO 2.0: Pay Eight Years of Property Tax and MCD Waives Everything Older (2 Oct 2026). MCD office order of 29 September 2026: pay principal tax for 2019-20 to 2026-27 and older dues, interest and penalty are waived. Open to 31 December 2026.
• The Corporation's Name Went on the Property Card in 1968. On 22 September 2026 the Bombay High Court Ordered It Replaced. (30 Sep 2026). Bombay HC, 22 September 2026: a 1963 decree beat a 1968 property card entry in the corporation's name. The trusts' names go back on the records.
• From Melbourne, He Claimed a Chennai Property by Adverse Possession. The Madras High Court Refused Him an Injunction. (30 Sep 2026). Madras HC, 22 September 2026: an Australia-based claimant said decades of family possession made a Chennai property his. No injunction until trial.
• A Lease Sat With the Collector of Stamps for Eight Years. The Bombay High Court Says the Registration Clock Did Not Run. (30 Sep 2026). Bombay HC, 29 September 2026: a lease sat with the Collector of Stamps for eight years. The court held that time cannot be counted against the owner.
• His Father Let a Man Into His Chennai Flat in 2022. From California, He Asked for Rs 1 Lakh a Month. The Madras High Court Said Not Yet. (29 Sep 2026). Madras HC, 25 September 2026: a California owner asked for Rs 1 lakh a month from the man in his Chennai flat. The court said no, until the trial.
• He Bought a Delhi Society Flat on a GPA in 1998. The Registrar Says the Seller Was Never a Member. The Delhi High Court Has Sent It Back. (29 Sep 2026). Delhi HC, 22 and 25 September 2026: GPA buyers of Shiv Vihar society flats were refused membership as their sellers were never approved. What the court did.
• A Pending Title Case Will Not Stop the Sealing of a Residential Flat Used as a Business, the Supreme Court Says (29 Sep 2026). Supreme Court, 22 September 2026: premises in residential areas used commercially are to be sealed first, and a pending title dispute will not stop it.
• A Singapore Owner's Attorney Sold His Pudukkottai Building in 1999. The Occupiers Called It Forgery. The Madras High Court Upheld the Sale. (28 Sep 2026). Madras HC, 25 September 2026: a sale made under a Singapore owner's registered POA stood. Occupiers alleging forgery proved nothing and must leave.
• Pune Owners Gave PMC Their DP Road Land in 2016 for TDR. In 2026 They Asked for Cash. The Bombay High Court Said the 2016 Receipt Binds Them. (28 Sep 2026). Bombay HC, 24 September 2026: owners who gave Kharadi land to PMC in 2016 on a receipt accepting FSI or TDR cannot switch to cash a decade later.
• An NRI in the US Let His Brother Sell His Madurai Land Under a POA. He Sued the Brother's Widow in 2011. The Madras High Court Said He Waited Too Long. (27 Sep 2026). Madras HC, 25 September 2026: a US-based NRI who knew his brother had sold his Madurai land under a POA waited until 2011 to sue. The claim was time-barred.
• PCMC Gives 4% Off Property Tax Paid Online Until the End of September 2026 (27 Sep 2026). PCMC gives 4% off general tax for 2026-27 bills paid online from July to 30 September 2026, if the whole bill and arrears are cleared in one payment.
• A Father Sold Two Plots of Ancestral Land in 1993. His Widow and Sons Sued. The Supreme Court Upheld the Sale. (27 Sep 2026). Supreme Court, 16 September 2026: a widow and sons lost their challenge to a father's 1993 sale of ancestral land in Chikmagalur. Why the court upheld the sale.
• A Family Held a Sale Deed, a Will and a Partition Deed. The Land Had Been Acquired in 1959. The Delhi High Court Said None of It Helps. (26 Sep 2026). On 24 September 2026 the Delhi High Court held a family whose 1966 sale deed covered land acquired in 1959 must vacate, and can only claim compensation.
• A Tenant Bank Left a Shop Without Power. The Landlord Sued for Five Years of Lost Rent and Got Nothing. (26 Sep 2026). On 22 September 2026 the Delhi High Court refused a landlord ₹9.94 lakh in lost rent: he could have fixed the power sooner and never proved he tried to re-let.
• A Mumbai Society Built Extra Floors for Its Members. Four of the New Flats Went to the Contractor. The Bombay High Court Took Two Back. (26 Sep 2026). On 24 September 2026 the Bombay High Court held a Santacruz society could not hand extra TDR flats to its contractor's directors and gave two back to members.
• A Flat Bought in the Wife's and Mother-in-Law's Names Stays Theirs, the Delhi High Court Said on 24 September (25 Sep 2026). On 24 September 2026 the Delhi High Court held a husband could not claim a flat bought in his wife's and mother-in-law's names, citing the benami bar.
• A Builder Could Cancel a Flat Booking Over Unpaid Stamp Duty, but Must Refund It All, the Bombay High Court Said on 23 September (25 Sep 2026). On 23 September 2026 the Bombay High Court upheld a builder's cancellation over unpaid stamp duty but ordered the full booking amount refunded with interest.
• An Owner's Suit Against His POA Holder's Sale Goes Back to Trial, the Supreme Court Said on 21 September (25 Sep 2026). On 21 September 2026 the Supreme Court restored a Kerala owner's suit against a sale by his POA holder, holding limitation could not be tried first mid-trial.
• 66 MG Road Is Becoming a Self-Service Platform (24 Sep 2026). 66 MG Road launches a rent map, a broker directory, and self-serve property guides on 1 October 2026, covering up to 50 cities where NRI owners live.
• A Widow's Share Became Hers Outright Without a Partition, the Supreme Court Said on 22 September (24 Sep 2026). On 22 September 2026 the Supreme Court held a widow who took her husband's share under the 1937 Act became absolute owner under section 14(1) without partition.
• Three Months From the Award, Not From the Day You Heard: the Supreme Court on Section 28A (24 Sep 2026). On 21 September 2026 the Supreme Court held the three months under section 28A of the Land Acquisition Act run from the award, not from the date of knowledge.
• A Tenant Said the Owner's Husband Promised It the Flat for Ever. The Delhi High Court Said That Needs a Registered Deed. (24 Sep 2026). On 23 September 2026 the Delhi High Court held a tenant's claim to permanent possession, based on an oral promise, fails without a registered document.
• A Caretaker Who Stayed Thirty Years Owns Nothing. The Delhi High Court Said So on 22 September. (23 Sep 2026). On 22 September 2026 the Delhi High Court held that a caretaker who occupied a Shahdara house for over thirty years got no title, and an oral gift is no gift.
• The Board Notified the Form. From 1 October Your Buyer Reports the Purchase on Form 141. (23 Sep 2026). CBDT notified G.S.R. 830(E) on 22 September 2026. From 1 October a resident buyer reports an NRI property purchase on Form 141, not Form 144. What it collects.
• Delhi High Court: Heirs Who Inherit a Tenanted Shop Need Only a Better Title Than the Tenant (21 Sep 2026). Delhi High Court, 8 September 2026: a tenant of your grandfather cannot deny you as landlord. Heirs need only a title better than the tenant's.
• The Buyer's TAN Exemption Starts on 1 October. The Form Is Now Notified: Form 141. (20 Sep 2026). From 1 October 2026 a resident individual buying from an NRI need not apply for a TAN. On 22 September the Board notified the form: Form 141, not Form 144.
• One Building, One Society: the Bombay High Court Cancels a Breakaway in Prabhadevi (20 Sep 2026). Bombay High Court, 18 September 2026: buyers in two wings cannot register a separate society. Bifurcation is the only route. Stayed six weeks.
• Bombay High Court: Your Society's Share of the Land Is Fixed When Conveyance Falls Due (19 Sep 2026). Bombay High Court, 16 September 2026: a housing society's land share is fixed four months after formation, and a builder's later revised plan cannot cut it.
• The Registered Valuer Update Date Moves to 31 March 2027 (19 Sep 2026). CBDT's G.S.R. 822(E) of 17 September 2026 gives Wealth-tax registered valuers until 31 March 2027 to update their registration under section 514.
• BDA Land Allotment: 90 Days to Apply From 17 September 2026, 180 Days to Pay (19 Sep 2026). Karnataka's rules of 17 September 2026 open a 90-day window to apply for BDA allotment under section 38-D, with 180 days to pay once the BDA names the amount.
• Karnataka Opens a B-Khata to A-Khata Route in Towns and Villages, Until 31 December 2027 (18 Sep 2026). Karnataka's order of 9 September 2026 lets town, city and gram panchayat officers issue an A-khata for B-khata plots up to 1,000 sq m, until 31 December 2027.
• NRI Deposits Took In $33.5 Billion in July 2026, Against $1.0 Billion a Year Earlier (18 Sep 2026). RBI data of 15 September 2026 puts net NRI deposits at $33.5 billion for July 2026, against $1.0 billion a year earlier. What the table shows.
• Long Possession Is Not Adverse Possession: the Supreme Court, 10 September 2026 (16 Sep 2026). The Supreme Court held on 10 September 2026 that long occupation alone does not defeat an owner's title. Hostility has to be proved, with a date.
• RBI Closes the Last Leg of the NRE and FCNR Deposit Push (16 Sep 2026). On 11 September 2026 the RBI pulled the priority sector exemption on fresh FCNR(B) and NRE deposits back to 31 August 2026, matching the 25 August change.
• Bengaluru Halves What the BDA Charges to Allot Land With a House on It, and Sets Two Years Before Eviction (15 Sep 2026). Karnataka Act 42 of 2026, in force from 7 September 2026, halves what the BDA charges to allot acquired land with a building, and adds a two-year eviction rule.
• Delhi's Registration Map Now Follows Its Revenue Map: 13 Districts, 39 Sub-Registrar Offices (13 Sep 2026). On 3 September 2026 Delhi set up 13 registration districts and 39 sub-divisions, each with a Sub-Registrar office, matched to its revenue district boundaries.
• An Unregistered Agreement to Sell Still Gets You to Court. The Stamp Duty Gets There First (12 Sep 2026). On 8 September 2026 the Delhi High Court revived a suit on an unregistered agreement to sell, if buyers pay the missing stamp duty and a tenfold penalty.
• Decades on Your Land Do Not Make Someone Its Owner (11 Sep 2026). On 10 September 2026 the Supreme Court held that decades of occupation are not adverse possession unless the date it turned hostile is pleaded and proved.
• India Has a Five-Year Plan to Put Every Land Parcel on One Number (10 Sep 2026). DILRMP 3.0 guidelines launched 10 September 2026: Rs. 565.50 crore approved for 2026 to 2031, a 14-digit number per land parcel. What is real, what is a plan.
• Karnataka Gets Three Years to Reopen Your Record, Not Forty (9 Sep 2026). On 2 September 2026 the Supreme Court quashed a 2014 notice reopening a 1974 Bengaluru survey entry. Section 56(3) caps revision at three years.
• CBDT opens a foreign asset disclosure window, and returning NRIs sit inside it (7 Sep 2026). CBDT notified the foreign asset disclosure rules on 14 August 2026. An asset bought while you were an NRI and left off the return costs a ₹1 lakh fee.
• Your Name Off the Revenue Record Does Not Take Your Title With It (7 Sep 2026). On 20 August 2026 the Supreme Court held a mutation entry cannot extinguish a co-owner's title, and limitation runs from when the owner learns of it.
• RBI Ended the NRE and FCNR(B) Rate Holiday a Month Early, on 31 August 2026 (7 Sep 2026). RBI pulled the NRE and FCNR(B) interest rate relaxation forward to 31 August 2026 from 30 September. From 1 September the old ceilings apply to new deposits.
• The RBI Has Rewritten Loan Recovery. If an EMI on Your India Flat Bounces, These Are the New Limits (20 Aug 2026). The RBI's nine circulars of 6 August 2026 set an 08:00 to 19:00 contact window and a day's notice before a recovery agent visits, from 1 January 2027.
• You Agree to Sell the Flat to Your Tenant. The Supreme Court Says He Is Still Your Tenant (20 Aug 2026). The Supreme Court held on 13 August 2026 that an agreement to sell to a sitting tenant does not end the tenancy without a surrender under Section 111.
• More NRI Money Is Reaching India. Less of It Is Sitting in an NRI Deposit (20 Aug 2026). RBI data of 14 August 2026 puts net transfers into India at $41.4 billion for April to June 2026 while net NRI deposits fell to $2.8 billion.
• A Consulate Stamp on Your Power of Attorney Is Not Registration (13 Aug 2026). The Kerala High Court held that a power of attorney executed abroad must be registered in India before it can sell. Attestation is not registration.
• Register the Sale Deed and the Sale Is Done, Even If the Buyer Still Owes You (13 Aug 2026). The Supreme Court held on 7 August 2026 that an unpaid balance does not make a registered sale deed void. The seller's remedy is a money suit, not cancellation.
• The Supreme Court Has Put Every Capital City's Building Department on the Clock (13 Aug 2026). The Supreme Court's 4 August 2026 order pushes every capital city to act on illegal residential-to-commercial conversion. Owners abroad are exposed.
• The FCNR(B) Window Closed on 31 August 2026, a Month Before the Date Everyone Was Quoting (7 Aug 2026). The FCNR(B) swap window ended on 31 August 2026, not 30 September. RBI mobilised USD 127,226 million, and NRO money never qualified.
• One NRI Filing Deadline Has Passed. The Other Is 31 August (7 Aug 2026). ITR-2 was due 31 July 2026 and has passed. NRIs with business or professional income file ITR-3 by 31 August 2026. Who sits in which bucket.
• A Report Says 46% of NRI Owners Want to Sell Now. Read the Sample Before You Read the Number (7 Aug 2026). A 29 July 2026 report says 46% of NRI property owners want to sell now. The sample is about 150 clients at one firm. How to read it.
• The Supreme Court Struck Down One Will and Upheld Another Within Seven Weeks. The Line Between Them Matters. (26 Jul 2026). The Supreme Court upheld one will and struck another within seven weeks in mid-2026, both cutting out family. The line between them, for NRI heirs.
• The Cost Inflation Index for 2026-27 Is 384. For an NRI Selling Property, It Changes Nothing (23 Jul 2026). CBDT set the Cost Inflation Index for FY 2026-27 at 384 on 15 July 2026. For an NRI selling property, where indexation is gone, it changes nothing.
• Home Sales Fell 6% in Q2 2026 While Builders Launched More: Anarock (23 Jul 2026). Anarock says home sales in India's top seven cities fell 6% in Q2 2026 while launches rose 7%. What a cooling quarter means for an NRI buying in 2026.
• The 31 August ITR Deadline Is Not Yours. As an NRI, You File by 31 July 2026 (23 Jul 2026). The 31 August 2026 ITR date is for ITR-3 and ITR-4 non-audit filers. NRIs file ITR-2, due 31 July 2026. What changed and who it hits.
• Your Co-Heirs Get First Refusal Before You Sell an Inherited Share (16 Jul 2026). On 14 July 2026 the Supreme Court held Section 22 of the Hindu Succession Act covers inherited agricultural land too. Co-heirs get first refusal on a sale.
• The 2% B-Khata Conversion Window Has Closed. It Is 5% Now (16 Jul 2026). The 2% B-Khata to A-Khata fee ended on 23 August 2026 under Karnataka orders of 14 May and 24 July 2026, and new applications pay 5% of guidance value.
• India Sold 1.71 Lakh Homes in H1 2026 and Prices Rose Anyway (16 Jul 2026). Knight Frank's H1 2026 report: sales across eight cities rose 1% to 171,471 homes while prices climbed 5% to 9%. What a rising average hides from an owner.
• The FEMA Non-Debt Rules Changed in June 2026: Here Is What It Does Not Touch (9 Jul 2026). India gazetted the FEMA Non-Debt Instruments Third Amendment on 12 June 2026, widening listed equity access. NRI property rules stay unchanged.
• Maharashtra Holds Ready Reckoner Rates Flat for 2026-27: No Hike for Mumbai or Pune (9 Jul 2026). Maharashtra held Ready Reckoner rates flat for FY 2026-27, so the stamp duty and capital-gains base in Mumbai and Pune does not rise.
• One Heir Cannot Sell the Whole Inherited Flat: the Supreme Court Draws the Line (9 Jul 2026). In Darubai v. Kamalabai (June 2026) the Supreme Court held that heirs of a Hindu who dies intestate hold fixed separate shares. No heir can sell it all.
• NRI Income-Tax Filing for 2025-26: ITR-2, 31 July 2026, and What Actually Changed (2 Jul 2026). NRI property owners file ITR-2 by 31 July 2026. The new unrealised-rent relief is for residents, not you. What actually changed, plus the revised-return window.
• RBI Doubles the NRI Equity Investment Limit to 10% From 5 June 2026 (2 Jul 2026). On 5 June 2026 the RBI doubled the NRI/OCI single-company equity limit to 10% and raised the aggregate cap to 24%. Property owners are untouched.
• RBI Holds the Repo Rate at 5.25%: What It Means for NRI Home-Loan Borrowers (2 Jul 2026). The RBI held the repo rate at 5.25% on 5 June 2026, a fourth straight pause. What steady rates mean for NRIs paying a floating-rate home loan on India property.
• Assessment Year Is Gone: the Income-tax Act 2025 Is Now Live (25 Jun 2026). From 1 April 2026 the Income-tax Act 2025 is live. Assessment Year becomes Tax Year and the TDS sections NRI sellers cite are renumbered, rates unchanged.
• TCS on Money Sent Abroad Drops to 2% From 1 April 2026 (25 Jun 2026). From 1 April 2026, TCS on LRS education and medical remittances falls from 5% to 2%. NRI property repatriation runs on a separate track.
• New Forms for Sending Money Abroad: 145 and 146 Replace 15CA and 15CB (25 Jun 2026). From 1 April 2026, Form 145 and Form 146 replace Forms 15CA and 15CB for NRO remittances abroad. What a selling NRI must now file.
• Buying From an NRI Gets Simpler: No TAN Needed From 1 October 2026 (18 Jun 2026). From 1 October 2026 a resident individual buying from an NRI need not apply for a TAN. The Income-tax Rules have not caught up.
• Your NRI Property Tax Forms Were Renumbered: Form 128 and Form 144 in 2026 (18 Jun 2026). Under the Income-tax Act 2025, Form 13 becomes Form 128 (lower-TDS certificate) and Form 27Q becomes Form 144. What changed and what stayed the same.

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