1. Challenge has been laid in the present petition to an order dated 19.7.2006 passed by the learned Additional Rent Controller dismissing an application filed by the petitioner/tenant praying inter alia for issuance of fresh summons to him under the Third Schedule of the Delhi Rent Control Act (in short ‘the Act’) ; or in the alternate, for grant of 15 days time to file a leave to defend application to be reckoned from 13.7.2006 ; or permit the written statement filed by him to be taken as the grounds for leave to defend the eviction petition filed by the respondents/landladies under Section 14D of the Act. By the same order, after holding that the petitioner/tenant had failed to seek leave to defend the eviction petition within the prescribed period of limitation upon receipt of summons under the Third Schedule, the statement made by the respondents/landladies in the eviction petition was deemed to be admitted and an eviction order was passed in respect of the tenanted premises bearing House No.31/7, Ramesh Nagar, New Delhi.

2. Before examining the submissions made by the learned counsel for the petitioner/tenant, it is worth mentioning that though the present pet