SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
Dalveer Bhandari, Dipak Misra, JJ.
R.K. Bansal - Petitioners
Versus
Jag Pravesh Sharma - Respondents
I.A. No. 1 in SLP(C) No. 873 of 2012
Decided On : 27-03-2012
Rent Control Act - Section 14 –– Tenant - Challenged by the non-applicant – Tenant learned Single Judge of High Court directed petitioner-tenant to pay per month with effect from during the pendency of Revision Petition noticing fact that the suit property was situated in a prime commercial area of Delhi - Arrears were directed to be paid within a period of one month - Order of the High Court in aforesaid petition is set out as under – Held, said Special Leave Petition came up for admission hearing before this Court when this Court while dismissing the aforesaid petition granted one years time to petitioner-tenant to vacate premises subject to filing usual undertaking within 4 weeks order reads as under - Taken on Board - Court find no ground to interfere with impugned order - Special Leave Petition is dismissed - However, as prayed for one years time is granted for vacating premises upon filing usual undertaking in Registry of this Court within four weeks from today - Court had granted one years time to vacate premises on the aforesaid date - Main reason for proliferation of landlord tenant matter is primarily because landlord do not get rent which is close to the market rent - In landlord tenant matter it is the bounden duty and obligation of the Court to ensure that landlord gets rent which is akin to market rent - High Court was quite justified in increasing rent from facts of this case - For the reasons aforesaid Court direct that in case the non-applicant - tenant wants to stay in the premises for the aforesaid period then he would be obliged to pay rent at the rate of with effect per month as fixed by High Court of Delhi, otherwise tenant is directed to vacate premises within one month from today subject to filing usual undertaking within four weeks from today and give peaceful possession to applicant-landlord along with arrears of rent with effect from - If premises is not vacated within time stipulated above then applicant-landlord would be at liberty to take police help and get possession of premises from non-applicant However, unfortunately non-applicant deliberately did not pay interim rent at rate of fixed by Delhi High Court during pendency of Revision Petition. Revision Petition was ultimately dismissed by High Court vide order on merits said order was challenged by the non-applicant - tenant before this Court by way of Special Leave Petition – Tenant - Appeal disposed of
ORDER :
1. This is an application filed by the landlord who is respondent in the Special Leave Petition praying that the non-applicant tenant is merely paying Rs. 175/- per month which was fixed decades ago, is grossly disproportionate to the market rent prevailing in the said area.
2. The applicant-landlord had filed an application for eviction of the non- applicant - tenant under Section 14(e) of the Delhi Rent Control Act on the ground of bona fide requirement. The said eviction suit was decreed by the learned Additional Rent Controller vide order dated 18th May, 2010.
3. Aggrieved by the said order, the non-applicant - tenant filed a Revision Petition before the Delhi High Court. The tenant prayed for stay of execution of the eviction decree against him. When the said stay application came up for consideration before the learned Single Judge of the Delhi High Court on 24th August, 2011, the applicant-landlord pointed out that the market rent of the suit property would be around Rs. 50,000/- per month and therefore, it was prayed that the petitioner- tenant be directed to pay the market rent from the date of the eviction decree in view of the judgment of this Court in Atma Ram Properties (P) Ltd. v. Federal Motors Pvt. Ltd., (2005)1 SCC 705.
4. The learned Single Judge of the High Court directed the petitioner-tenant to pay Rs. 25,000/- per month with effect from 18th May, 2010 during the pendency of the Revision Petition noticing the fact that the suit property was situated in a prime commercial area of Delhi. The arrears were directed to be paid within a period of one month. The order of the High Court in the aforesaid petition is set out as under :-
"RC. REV. 226/2010
Today counsel for the petitioner says that the petitioner will pursue this petition on merits. In view of this, counsel for both the parties submit that revision petition can be fixed for final hearing on some actual date. Accordingly list this revision petition for final hearing in the category of 'After Notice Miscellaneous Matters' on 15th December, 2011.
CM APPL. 17100/2010
Learned senior counsel for the respondent-landlord says that as a condition for stay of execution of the impugned eviction order, if at all this Court is inclined to grant that relief the petitioner-tenant is directed to pay charges for use and occupation of the tenanted premises at the present market rate keeping in view the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Atma Ram Properties (P) Ltd. v. Federal Motors Pvt. Ltd., (2005)1 SCC 705. He also says that the present day market rent of the two shops in question would be around Rs. 50,000 per month. Counsel for the petitioner-tenant while not disputing that he is not liable to pay charges for use and occupation over and above the agreed contractual rent says that the market rent of two shops would not be more than 10,000 per month.
Without going into detailed enquiry as to what would be the recent rent of the premises in question, which are stated to be in Qutab Road, a prime commercial area these days in Delhi, I direct the petitioner to pay to the respondent- landlord charges for use and occupation Rs. 25,000 per month from the date of passing of the impugned eviction order till the disposal of this petition. This would be a condition of stay of dispossession of the petitioner-tenant from the premises in question. The arrears shall be cleared within a month and from September, 2011 onwards the aforesaid amount shall be paid to the respondent on or before 7th of each month. In case of default, the petitioner shall become liable to be evicted forthwith. The amounts paid by the petitioner shall be subject to the final outcome of the revision petition. This application stands disposed of accordingly."
5. The non-applicant - tenant filed a Review Petition under Order 48 of the Civil Procedure Code before the High Court itself against the aforesaid order dated 24th August, 2011 being Review Petition No. 528 of 2011. In the said Review Petition, t
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