High Court of Kerala
THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE PIUS C. KURIAKOSE & THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE K. SURENDRA MOHAN
S.P. Ismail
Versus
K. Sudhakara Shenoy
RCRev.No.266 of 2009
Decided on : 23-11-2009
Kerala Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act 1965 - S.5, S.11, S.12 - Fixation of fair rent - appellant to pay the arrears of rent as well as the rent which fell due subsequent to the commencement of the proceedings - Appellate Authority passed an order directing the tenant to make the payment - No full compliance with the direction of the Appellate Authority impugned judgment dismissing the appeal and directing eviction - Challenged - Held, jurisdiction to fix fair rent of buildings governed by Act 2 of 1965 is that of the Rent Control Court - Appellate Authority to decide whether such fixation of fair rent is correct Appellate Authority to decide whether such fixation of fair rent is correct.
Pius C. Kuriakose, J.
The tenant is in revision against the judgment of the Rent Control Appellate Authority dismissing the appeal which he had field against the order of the Rent Control Court and simultaneously directing him to surrender possession of the petition schedule building within a period of one month from the date of the judgment.
2. The application before the Rent Control Court was for fixation of fair rent under Section 5 of Act 2 of 1965. The Rent Control Court after enquiry would fix the fair rent of the building, which is situated in Kanhangad town, at Rs.3,000/- per month as against the contract rent of Rs.1,600/- per mensem. The tenant preferred appeal R.C.A. No.4/2006 against the order of the Rent Control Court. In the appeal, the landlord field I.A.No.12/2007 under Section 12 for directing the appellant to pay the arrears of rent as well as the rent which fell due subsequent to the commencement of the proceedings. The appellate authority passed an order directing the tenant to make the payment. But, no payment was made by the Revision petitioner. It is on the reason that there is no full compliance with the direction of the Appellate Authority to pay the admitted arrears of rent and rent that fell due subsequently that the impugned judgment dismissing the appeal and direction eviction has been passed.
3. We have heard the submissions of Sri. M. Gopikrishnan Nambiar, learned counsel for the revision petitioner and those of Sri. Suresh Kumar Kodoth, learned counsel for the respondent who had lodged caveat on behalf of the respondent. Drawing our attention to Section 12 of Act 2 of 1965, Sri. Gopikrishnan Nambiar submitted that the learned Appellate Authority did not have jurisdiction to invoke Section 12 in as much as the proceedings were not for eviction, but were for fixation of fair rent. Sri. Suresh Kumar Kodoth per contra would justify the impugned judgment. He submitted that having regard to the principles of justice, equity and good conscience which are to govern the proceedings before the Rent Control Court and the Appellate Authority in terms of Sub Rule 8 of Rule 11 of the Statutory Rules, it was necessary that the tenant, who is pursuing or defending any proceedings whether it before the Rent Control Court or the Appellate Authority pays at least the rent which he admits to be in arrears.
4. We have very anxiously considered the rival submissions addressed at the Bar. Section 12 of the 2 of 1965 reads as follows;
“12. payment or deposit of rent during the pendency of proceedings for eviction:-
1). No tenant against whom an application for eviction has been made by a landlord under Section 11, shall be entitled to contest the application before the Rent Control Court under that Section, or to prefer an appeal under Section 18 against any order made by the Rent Control Court on the application unless he has paid or pays to the landlord, or deposits with the Rent Control Court or the appellate authority, as the case may be, all arrears of rent admitted by the tenant to be due in respect of the building upto the date of payment or deposit, and continues to pay or to deposit any rent which may subsequently become due in respect of the building, until the termination of the proceedings before the Rent Control Court or the appellate authority, as the case may be.
2). The deposit under sub-section (1) shall be made within such time as the Court may fix and in such manner as may be prescribed and shall be accompanied by the fee prescribed for the service of notice referred to in sub section (4).
Provided that the time fixed by the Court for the deposit of the arrears of rent shall not be less than four weeks from the date of the order and the time fixed for the deposit of rent which subsequently accrues date on which the rent becomes due.
3). If any tenant fails to pay or to deposit the rent as aforesaid, the Rent Control Court or the appellate authority, as the case may be, shall, unless the ten
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