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1998 Supreme(Guj) 353

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :D.C.Srivastava
SANAND VIJAY ANSUR JUDA - Appellant
Versus
FAKIR MAHOMED SARDARBHAI - Respondent
C.R.A. 857 of 1997
Decided On : 07/15/1998

Advocates Appeared: B.N.SHAH, P.R.NANAVATI

Headnote:Bombay Rent Hotel & Lodging House Rates Controal Act, 1947 — Secs. 29(2) & 12(3)(b) — Revision — Petitioner-Plaintiff filed a suit for eviction — Respondent tenant defaulted in paying rent — Trial Court dismissed suit — Appeal was also dismissed by lower appellate Court — Interference — Held, the matter remanded back to lower appellate Court to decide the appeal on the points posed.

       The lower Appellate Court in its judgment has observed that the rent was not paid or deposited by the tenant in the Trial Court on the first date of hearing and regularly thereafter. It further observed that the defendant had not deposited any rent pending the trial and pending the Appeal. It further observed that the tenant deposited some amount of rent only after the matter was remanded to the Trial Court. If, however, the receipts are on the record of the Trial Court the Appellate Court shall examine the same and come to the conclusion whether those deposits were made on the first day of hearing or not.

       [Para 11]

       For considering whether such protection is available or not, the lower Appellate Court has to strictly construe the provisions of Sec. 12(3) (b) of the Act which obliges the tenant to pay to deposit the rent in Court on the first date of hearing of the suit or on or before such other date as the Court may fix and continues to pay or tender in Court such rent till the suit is finally decided and pay the cost of the suit as directed by the Court. The lower Appellate Court shall therefore see from the record whether the respondent has deposited arrears of rent on the first date of hearing of the suit and continued to deposit the same regularly in Court till the suit was decided and also paid the cost of the suit awarded by the Trial Court and then finding will be recorded by the lower Appellate Court whether statutory protection under Sec. 12(3) (b) of the Act is available to the tenant respondent or not.

       [Para 13]

       In the result the revision succeeds and is allowed. The Judgment and Decree of the lower Appellate Court is set aside and the Appeal is remanded to the lower Appellate Court for fresh disposal of Appeal in accordance with law keeping in view the observations made in the body of the Judgment.

       [Para 15]

D. C. SRIVASTAVA, J.

( 1 ) THIS is landlords revision under Sec. 29 (2) of the Bombay Rent Act.

( 2 ) BRIEF facts giving rise to this revision are that the plaintiff is registered trust having managing trustees. One Shivben was the owner of the suit premises. She executed registered Gift Deed on 11-8-1972 creating a trust in favour of the plaintiff. The gift was accepted. Deceased Fakirmohmed was the tenant in the disputed premises on a monthly rent of Rs. 8/ -. Rent was paid till 4-4- 1973 to the previous owner. Since 5-4-1973 the rent was not paid to the plaintiff in spite of repeated demand. Consequently, notice dated 18-3-1977 demanding rent amounting to Rs. 376/- was served and tenancy was determined. More than six months the rent remained due which was not paid after service of notice of demand nor any reply was given. Accordingly, the suit for eviction was filed and for arrears of rent and mesne profit.

( 3 ) THE suit was resisted on the ground that there was no privity of contract between the plaintiff trust and the defendant and the plaintiff was not landlord of the defendant. Validity of Gift Deed was also challenged. It was also pleaded that the rent was paid to the previous owner and after her death to his heirs and no rent is due from him. It was also pleaded that Rs. 3000/- were given to the previous owner which was agreed to be adjusted towards rent. Notice was also said to be illegal.

( 4 ) THE trial Court dismissed the suit. An appeal was preferred. The appellate court found that no doubt the trust was a registered trust and owner of the suit property, but since it was not established by the plaintiff that the plaint was signed by all the trustees and notice of demand and eviction was also given on behalf of all the trustees, the plaintiff trust was not entitled to decree for eviction. Accordingly, the Appeal was also dismissed. Hence this revision.

( 5 ) LEARNED Counsel for the revisionist contended that the findings of the lower appellate Court that the plaint was not signed by all the trustees is incorrect so also the finding that the notice was not given on behalf of all the trustees. His contention has been that the trustees had been changing from time to time and since there was no defence raised in the written statement that the plaint was not signed by all the trustees and the notice was also not given on behalf of all the trustees the plaintiff was prevented from adducing proper evidence on the point. It was further contended that no cross-examination was directed to the plaintiffs witness on this points.

( 6 ) AS against this learned Counsel for the respondent, placing reliance upon a Full Bench decision of this Court in Atmaram Ranchhodbhai v. Gulamhusein gulam Mohiyuddin, reported in 1972 GLR 328 (FB) contended that in a suit like this where the trust filed a suit for recovery of possession of the disputed premises from the tenant all the managing trustees should have signed the plaint and the notice should have been given on their behalf and in case the notice was given by them it should have been signed by all of them. On the strength of this Full Bench pronouncement he contended that the decree against the respondent for eviction could not be passed and as such the revision deserve to be dismissed.

( 7 ) AFTER giving my thoughtful consideration to the submission raised by the two sides and also to the law laid down by the Full Bench in the aforesaid atmarams case (supra) it seems that the lower appellate Court has given findings on mere presumptions and surmises and also to some extent due to failure of the trust to clarify as to who were the trustees on the date the notice of demand and eviction was given and also on the date when the suit was filed.

( 8 ) THE Full Bench pronouncement of this Court in Atmarams case (supra) essentially laid down that in case of a public charitable trust or private trust a trustee cannot delegate any of his duties, functions and powers to the co- trustee or to any















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