Gujarat High Court
Judgename :V.B.RAJU
SHAH KANTILAL MANILAL - Appellant
Versus
KOTHARI GOPALDAS BAPUBHAI - Respondent
Civil Revision 226 of 1960
Decided On : 02/27/1962
Bombay Rents Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act 1947 - Section 13 - Obtaining possession - Possession of premises – Tenant and alleged sub-tenant contended that appellate Court should have given a finding regarding sub tenancy - It is also contended that after filing of revision application an Ordinance was passed according to which all sub-tenancies which came into being before Ordinance were not to be used as a ground for obtaining possession - It is therefore contended that in view of this Ordinance which was passed after revision application had been filed it should be held that there was a sub-tenancy not with standing fact that alleged sub-tenancy was denied till Ordinance – Held, Counsel for applicant also relies Travancore-Cochin where it was observed that limitations which govern exercise jurisdiction are those in force at time when such a jurisdiction is attempted to be exercised and not those that were in force at the time when exercise of that jurisdiction was invited by presentation revision petition or at time when order sought to be revised was passed - Subordinate Court was right in passing order because on when it passed order Ordinance was not in force and therefore order of subordinate Court cannot be interfered with in revision - Application dismissed
( 1 ) THE second Joint Civil Judge Junior Division Ahmedabad decreed Civil Suit No. 343 of 1957 by the landlord for possession of the premises leased to the tenant on the ground that the tenant had built a house for himself after coming into operation of the Bombay Rents Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act 1947 which will hereinafter be referred to as the Act and also on the ground that the tenant had sublet the premises. The suit had been filed both against the tenant as well as against the alleged sub-tenant. In appeal the appellate Court confirmed the decree for possession on the first ground but as regards the second ground relating to the alleged sub-tenancy it gave no finding as it felt that it was not necessary in view of the fact that the appellate Court was confirming the decree of the first Court on the first ground.
( 2 ) IN revision the tenant and the alleged sub-tenant contended that the appellate Court should have given a finding regarding the sub tenancy. It is also contended that after the date of the filing of the revision application on 27-2-59 an Ordinance was passed on 21-5-59 according to which all sub-tenancies which came into being before the date of the Ordinance were not to be used as a ground for obtaining possession. It is therefore contended that in view of this Ordinance which was passed after the revision application had been filed it should be held that there was a sub-tenancy notwithstanding the fact that the alleged sub-tenancy was denied till the date of the Ordinance. It is contended that as the Ordinance was passed before the date on which this revision application is being decided the Ordinance should be applied by the revising Court and for this proposition reliance is placed on Parwatibai Vasudeo v. Shridhar 60 Bombay Law Reporter 1175 at p. 1181.
( 3 ) AS regards the first contention that the appellate Court should have given a finding regarding the sub-tenancy the High Court will not interfere in revision merely because a finding which the appellate Court rightly thought was unnecessary was not given. Under section 13 (1) (1) of the Act a landlord would be entitled to possession if after coming into operation of the Act the tenant had built a suitable residence. On this point both the Courts have agreed that the landlord is entitled to possession. It was therefore not necessary for the appellate Court to consider whether the landlord was entitled to possession on another ground also. The omission to give a finding on the alleged sub-tenancy is therefore not a matter to be interfered with in revision.
( 4 ) AS regards the second contention that this Court in revision should apply the Ordinance which came into force on 21-5-59 and
( 5 ) THAT this Court should hold that both the tenant and the alleged sub-tenant denied the alleged sub-tenancy in the proceedings both at the trial and in appeal it is contended that so far as the tenant is concerned sub-clause (1) of sec. 13 (1) of the Act would apply but so far as the sub-tenant is concerned this clause (1) has no application because the sub-tenant had not built a house for his own residence.
( 6 ) SEC. 13 of the Act enumerates the circumstances under which a landlord would be entitled to recover possession of any premises and one of these circumstances is that the tenant has after coming into operation of the Act built a suitable residence. Another circumstance is found in clause (e) and this is that the tenant has since the coming into operation of the Act sub-let whole or part of the premises or assigned or transferred in any other manner his interest therein. The sub-tenancy was alleged by the landlord-plaintiff and has been denied by both the tenant as well as the alleged sub-tenant who were parties to the suit. even in the memo of the revision application in ground No. (k) it was contended that the appellate Court ought to have held that defendant No. 1 has not sublet the premises to defendant No. 2. The Memo of the
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