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2014 Supreme(Ker) 267

High Court of Kerala
K.T. SANKARAN & P. UBAID, JJ.
K.C. Mathew & Another
Versus
D. Aruna
RC Rev. No. 168 of 2013
Decided On : 26-05-2014

Advocate Appeared:
For the Petitioners:Devan Ramachandran, Biju Varghese Abraham, K.M. Aneesh, S. Nikhil Sankar, Adarsh Kumar, Advocates.
For the Respondent:P.K. Sajeev, V. Sreenath, Advocates.

Headnote:

Kerala Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act 1965 - Section 11( 3) - "Dependancy" Meaning of - Relationship between the landlord and the projected dependent - Building or room of his own to accommodate himself - Doctor has a consultation room attached to his house, his right or determination to start a clinic or hospital of his own at some other place - Held, whether it be blood relationship or relationship by marriage or some family relationship. As there could be dependency between spouse or between parents and children or between brothers and sisters, there can be such dependency between cousins or other near relatives or even between brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Thus, a wide range of relationship under which one could legitimately or reasonably look to another for help by way of some accommodation, providing any building or room for some trade or business purposes would come under S.11(3) of the Act - consultation room is not in between the residential building of the landlady and the other residential building in the possession of her mother-in-law. So long as the said consultation room is not a room attached to the house of the landlady, the dependency of her husband cannot be disputed on the ground that the said room can be used as a clinic. There is much difference between a clinic and a house consultation room. So far as a Doctor is concerned, house consultation - business being conducted in the tenanted premises is concerned, the Court will have to consider whether such a business can be conveniently done in the subsequently acquired premises or whether the nature and circumstances of the subsequently acquired building are such that the present business could be conveniently conducted there

Judgment

P. Ubaid, J.

1. The landlady, and also the tenants, in a proceeding for eviction brought under Section 11(3) and 11(4)(iii) of the Kerala Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1965 are now before this Court in revision in view of the divergent findings of the courts below. The landlady brought RCP No.161 of 2007 before the Rent Control Court -I (Munsiff Court-I), Kozhikode for eviction of the tenants on the ground of bona fide need, and also on the ground that the tenants have acquired many other buildings after the commencement of the tenancy. The landlady obtained the petition schedule building under a settlement deed executed by her father Doraiswami, in the year 2003. The petition schedule building was taken on rent by one Cherukutti, the predecessor in interest of the present tenants, from the father of the petitioner years back. On the death of Cherukutty, the tenancy devolved upon the legal heirs who are the respondents in the eviction proceedings. Though the rent initially was very low, it was subsequently raised to Rs.2000/- in January, 2007. The tenants have been running a stationery business by name “Mooleppattu Stationary” in the tenanted premises. The landlady's husband Raja Venkita Raman is an experienced Medical Practitioner. His father Venkitaraman was also an established Doctor, who had his own clinic in a rented building near the Pushpa Theatre, Kallai Road, Kozhikode. The petitioner's husband Raja Venkittaraman started practice along with his father in the said building on completion of his course in medicine. In the year 2001, the landlord of the said building filed RCP No.124 of 2001 before the Rent Control Court (Munsiff Court -II) Kozhikode for eviction of Dr. Venkittaraman from the said tenanted building. In the said proceedings, eviction was ordered by the court, against which Dr. Venkittaraman filed RCA No.130 of 2005 before the Appellate Authority. On the death of Dr. Venkittaraman, his son Raja Venkittaraman, who is the husband of the landlady in this case, got himself impleaded and continued the said proceedings. However, he lost his case in appeal, and the order of eviction has become final. The landlady in this case, and her husband apprehend that at any time Dr. Raja Venkittaraman may be expelled from the premises in execution of the order of eviction in RCP No.124/2001. Dr. Raja Venkittaraman has no room or building of his own for his practice as Doctor and so he depends upon his wife, who has her own building in the Kozhikode Town. Finding that Dr. Raja Venkittaraman will have to vacate the premises on the Kallai Road, Calicut, his wife brought proceedings for eviction of the tenants in this case from the petition schedule building. Her case is that her husband has no room or building of his own, and she has no other building in her possession to accommodate her husband. In case, her husband is evicted from the tenanted premises in execution of the order in RCP 124 of 2001, he will have no place to practice his profession, and so the landlady bona fide needs her own building to accommodate her husband who wants to start a clinic of his own in the petition schedule building. It is her further case that the tenants have in fact acquired so many buildings after the tenancy and they are in possession of those buildings which are more than sufficient for their requirements.

2. The tenants entered appearance in the trial court and filed counter statement resisting the prayer for eviction on the contention that the landlady's husband Dr. Raja Venkittaraman is not at all dependent on her, because he has been continuing in the other tenanted premises on the Kallai Road, Calicut under a new arrangement with the landlord of the said building, that he has been confortably and conveniently continuing his practice there, that he has no intention at all to start another clinic in the petition schedule building, that the attempt of the landlady has been to evict the tenants somehow and sell the premi






















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