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1972 Supreme(Del) 205

High Court Of Delhi
NATHU KHAN - Appellant
Versus
MOHAMMND ISMAIL - Respondent
SECOND APPEAL 178 of 1972
Decided On : 09/01/1972

Advocates Appeared:
L.D.ADLEKHA, S.S.Chadha

The legal representatives of a deceased statutory tenant are not tenants within the meaning of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958, and the Controller lacks jurisdiction to pass an order for eviction against them.

Headnote:

Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 - Section 14(1) - Section 15(1) - Section 15(7) - Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1956 - Section 19 - Order XXII Rule 4 Civil Procedure Code - Interpretation and Application - Legal Representatives of Deceased Statutory Tenant - Jurisdiction of Controller - Executability of Eviction Order - Error Apparent on the Face of the Record.

Fact of the Case:

Rahim Khan, a tenant under the predecessor-in-title of the landlord, received a notice alleging rent arrears and stating that eviction proceedings would be taken if the arrears were not paid within two months. Rahim Khan died during the pendency of the eviction proceedings. The landlord brought the legal representatives of Rahim Khan on record, and the Controller passed an order for eviction against them. The legal representatives challenged the executability of the order, arguing that they were not tenants and that the Controller lacked jurisdiction to proceed against them.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the legal representatives of Rahim Khan were not tenants or statutory tenants and that the Controller lacked jurisdiction to pass an order for eviction against them. However, the court also held that the order for eviction was not a nullity and could not be challenged in execution proceedings as the error of jurisdiction was not apparent on the face of the record.

Issues: 1. Whether the legal representatives of a deceased statutory tenant are tenants within the meaning of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958. 2. Whether the Controller has jurisdiction to pass an order for eviction against the legal representatives of a deceased statutory tenant. 3. Whether an order for eviction passed against persons who are not tenants or statutory tenants is a nullity and can be challenged in execution proceedings.

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The legal representatives of a deceased statutory tenant are not tenants within the meaning of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958, as the statutory protection afforded to a statutory tenant does not extend to his heirs at law. 2. The Controller lacks jurisdiction to pass an order for eviction against the legal representatives of a deceased statutory tenant as the jurisdiction of the Controller is limited to proceedings between a landlord and a tenant. 3. An order for eviction passed against persons who are not tenants or statutory tenants is not a nullity and cannot be challenged in execution proceedings unless the error of jurisdiction is apparent on the face of the record.

Final Decision: The second appeal was dismissed, and the order for eviction was upheld.

V. S. DESHPANDE,j. (ORAL)

( 1 ) ONE Rahim Khan was a tenant under the predecessor-iri-title of the respondent Mohamad Ismail from before 1-12-1962 when section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act first beacme applicable to Delhi. The respondent landlord sent a notice dated 8-1-1964 to Rahim Khan alleging that the latter had not paid arrears of rent in respect of the premises and staling that if the arears of rent are not paid within two months of the service of the notice, then proceedings for recovery of rent and for eviction would be taken against him. This notice was a composite notice under clause (a) of the proviso to section 14 (1) of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 (hereinafter called the Act) and also a reasonable notice according to the principle underlying section 106 of the Transfer of Property Act. As the notice was not complied with, the landord filed a petition for eviction against Rahim Khan before the Rent Controller under the provisions of the Act. The landlord proved the service of this notice on Rahim Khan. In the application for eviction, the landlord had alleged the service of the said notice on Rahim Khan but Rahim Khan had generally denied the allegations regarding the service of notice. After the service of notice was proved by the landlord, the contractual tenancy of Rahim Khan was terminated and he became a statutory tenant. Rahim Khan died during the pendency of the eviction proceedings before the Controller as a statutory tenant. The landlord made an application on the principle underlying Order XXII rule 4 Civil Procedure Code stating that though Rahim Khan died as a statutory tenant and his heirs and legal representatives did not succeed to any tenancy rights and did not, therefore, become tenants under the landlord, they should nevertheless be brought on record in order to avoid any technical or legal objection. The legal representatives stated that the application was not maintainable but had no objection to bs brought on record if the Court held that it was maintainable. The Controller simply ordered them to be brought on record and proceeded with the eviction proceeding. As the rent was not paid in accordance with the order passed by the Controller under section 15 (1) of the Act, the landlord applied to the Controller that the defence originally contained in the written statement filed by Rahim Khan and continued by his legal representatives should bs struck out under section 15 (7) of the Act. The Controller refused to strike out the defence. The landlord, therefore, went in appeal to the Rent Control Tribunal which allowed the appeal and ordered the defence to be struck out. The eviction proceeding came back to the Controller who passed an order for eviction in favour of the landlord and against the legal representatives of Rahim Khan under clause of the proviso to section 14 (1) the Act and also on other grounds which are not material for consideration.

( 2 ) THE legal representatives of Rahim Khan filed an appeal against the order for eviction to the Rent Control Tribunal which dismissed the appeal solely on ths ground that the order for eviction was valid inasmuch as the legal representatives had failed to pay rent in accordance with the order passed under section 15 (1) though as to the other grounds for eviction it agreed with the appellants. The second appeal against the order of the Rent Control Tribunal filed by the legal representatives of Rahim Khan was dismissed in limine.

( 3 ) THE landlord filed a proceeding for execution of the order of eviction before the Controller. The legal representatives of Rahim Khan objected to the execution on two alternate grounds. Firstly, the legal representatives were brought on record on the death of Rahim Khan in the eviction proceedmgs and the order for evietion was passed against them. According to the decision of a full bench of five judges of this court in Bardu Ram v. Ram Chander, 1970 0 Allindiarentcontroljournal 1078, (1) the permission o





















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