Chandigarh, Aug. 9 -- The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has set aside the dismissal of a homeowner's complaint against a renovation contractor and directed him to pay Rs.1.6 lakh for leaving the work incomplete despite receiving Rs.5.2 lakh out of the agreed Rs.6 lakh contract amount. The commission, comprising president justice Raj Shekhar Attri and member Preetinder Singh, held that the contractor was guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. The order was pronounced on July 20. The case was filed by Vinay Kumar Kapoor, owner of a house in Sector 22-C, Chandigarh. He had engaged Narinder Chohan to undertake renovation and construction work on the ground floor for Rs.6 lakh, including labour and material. The work was to be completed by May 31, 2021. Kapoor handed over possession of the house in March 2021 and paid Rs.5.2 lakh through NEFT, but alleged that several works remained unfinished even after the deadline. According to the complaint, Kapoor was subsequently forced to engage another contractor and incurred additional expenditure of around Rs.3 lakh to complete the remaining work. The District Consumer Commission-II had dismissed his complaint in August 2025, observing that Kapoor had continued making payments even after the stipulated completion date, which indicated that the work had substantially been completed. However, while hearing Kapoor's appeal, the State Commission relied on WhatsApp conversations between the parties that had subsequently been brought on record as additional evidence. The commission noted that the messages showed that the renovation remained incomplete well after May 31, 2021. In July 2021, the contractor admitted that the toilet seat was yet to be installed and acknowledged that one of the agreed washrooms could not be constructed. The correspondence also showed pending electrical, carpentry, sanitary and kitchen work. The commission consequently awarded Rs.1.28 lakh towards the expenditure incurred in completing the unfinished renovation. It also awarded Rs.25,000 as compensation for mental agony, physical harassment and inconvenience, besides Rs.15,000 towards litigation expenses. In case of default, the amount awarded towards completion expenses will carry 9% interest per annum from the date of the order, while compensation and litigation expenses will carry 9% interest from the date of default until payment. The commission accordingly partly allowed the appeal and set aside the district commission's August 2025 order....