IN THE HIGH COURT OF BOMBAY
R.A. Jahagirdar, J.
Kasturchand Panachand Doshi others... Petitioners.
Versus
Yeshwant Vinayak Sainkar anothers... Respondents.
Writ Petition No. 1879 of 1979, decided on 25-3-1980.
Advocates appeared :
Ajit P. Shah, for petitioners.
Mohan Pungalia, for respondents.
LANDLORD AND TENANT - BOMBAY RENTS, HOTEL AND LODGING HOUSE RATES CONTROL ACT, 1947 - SECTION 13(1)(A) - TRANSFER OF PROPERTY ACT, 1882 - SECTION 108(O) - CHANGE OF PURPOSE OF USER - ACQUIESCENCE OR WAIVER BY LANDLORD - EFFECT - INTERPRETATION OF PURPOSE UNDER SECTION 6 OF THE BOMBAY RENT ACT.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner was a tenant of a room in a building in Pune, which he had leased for the purpose of conducting a milk business. However, he later started using the premises as a workshop, without the landlord's consent. The landlord filed a suit for eviction, which was decreed by the trial court and upheld by the appellate court.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the petitioner's use of the premises for a purpose other than the one for which they were leased constituted a breach of the lease agreement and a ground for eviction under section 13(1)(a) of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947, read with section 108(o) of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882.
Issues: 1. Whether the petitioner's change of user of the premises constituted a breach of the lease agreement and a ground for eviction under section 13(1)(a) of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947, read with section 108(o) of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882? 2. Whether the landlord's acquiescence or waiver of the breach of the lease agreement barred the landlord's right to evict the petitioner?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The court held that the petitioner's change of user of the premises from a milk business to a workshop constituted a breach of the lease agreement and a ground for eviction under section 13(1)(a) of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947, read with section 108(o) of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882. The court reasoned that the change of user was not merely a change in the type of business conducted on the premises, but a fundamental change in the purpose for which the premises were leased. 2. The court held that the landlord's acquiescence or waiver of the breach of the lease agreement did not bar the landlord's right to evict the petitioner. The court reasoned that the landlord's acquiescence or waiver only applied to the specific breach of the lease agreement that had occurred, and did not amount to a consent to the petitioner's continued use of the premises for a purpose other than the one for which they were leased.
Final Decision: The court dismissed the petition and upheld the decree of eviction passed by the lower courts.
2. Having noticed that the petitioners were about to use the suit premises for the purpose of workshop by installing heavy machinery in the same, the respondent sent a notice to them on 13th of March, 1975 terminating the tenancy of the petitioners. By the said notice the petitioner was also called upon not to use the suit premises for the purpose contemplated by him. Despite this it was found by the respondents that the petitioners installed the machinery and started using the suit premises for a purpose other than the one for which it has been originally let out. The respondents, therefore filed a suit, being Civil Suit No. 2947 of 1976 in the Court of Small Causes at Pune on 20th of October, 1976.
3. In the said suit the second and the third petitioners were added as defendants Nos. 2 and 3 on the ground that the first petitioner had illegally sublet the suit premises in their favour. Though the trial Court several grounds were urged in support of the prayer for eviction and the trial Court itself accepted some of them for passing the decree for eviction, ultimately the ground which remains for consideration by me is the ground which is mentioned in section 13(1)(a) of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and lodging House Rates Control Act, hereinafter referred to as "the Bombay Rent Act", read with section 108(o) of the Transfer of Property Act. It means that the petitioner has used the suit premises for a purpose other than the one for which it was leased. From the discussion in the judgment of the appeal Court below I also notice that the decree is further based upon a finding that the petitioner has into used the suit premises without reasonable cause for the purpose for which they were let out for a continuous period of 6 months immediately proceeding the date of the suit. These two grounds, namely using the suit premises for a purpose for which they were not let out as mentioned in section 108(o) of the Transfer of Property Act, and not using the suit premises for a period of 6 months or more immediately proceeding the date of the suit for the purpose for which they were let out and that too without a reasonable cause are apparently overlapping and Shri Shah has justifiably advanced some arguments upon the same.
4. The learned trial Judge by his judgment and order dated 9th of June, 1978 decreed the suit for possession. He also passed certain consequential orders. This decree of the trial Court was challenged by all the three petitioners in Civil Appeal No. 298 of 1978 which was heard and dismissed by the learned Extra Joint Judge of Pune by his judgment and order dated 15th of July, 1978. I would mention her again that the learned Extra Joint Judge upheld the decree for eviction on the ground mentioned in section 13(1)(a) of the Bombay Rent Act read with section 108(o) of the Transfer of Property Act as well as the ground mentioned in section 13(1)(k) of the Bombay Rent Act . It is this decree which is the subject-matter of the challenge in this pe
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