The main legal point established in the judgment is that the Kerala Buildings (Lease & Rent Control) Act, 1965 does not automatically apply to a newly constituted area, and a notification by the Government, supported by a resolution passed by the local authority, is necessary to extend its provisions to such an area.

M.M. Pareed Pillay, J.

1. Revision petitioner is the decree holder. The suit filed by her (O.S.363 of 1988) for eviction on the ground of arrears of rent was decreed in her favour. While delivery of the property was sought in execution, it was resisted mainly on the ground that the Kerala Buildings (Lease & Rent Control) Act, 1965 has been made applicable to the area where the property is situated and hence the Executing Court has no jurisdiction to evict the respondents.

2. The decree schedule property was situated in a part of Vythiri Panchayat where the Act was made applicable with effect from 1-5-1971. Vythiri Panchayat was bifurcated and a new panchayat viz. Pozhuthana Panchayat was formed. Portion of Vythiri Panchayat and that of another panchayat constitute the Pozhuthana Panchayat. Contention of the revision petitioner is that the Act has not been made applicable to Pozhuthana Panchayat and merely because a portion of Vythiri Panchayat forms part of the newly constituted Panchayat the Act would not apply to that area. Case of the respondents is that formerly the decree schedule building was in Vythiri Panchayat and though it is now in Pozhuthana Panchayat the Act would still apply.

3. Section 1(3) of the Act states that it applies to the areas mentioned in the Schedule and the Government may, by notification in the Gazette, apply all or any of the provisions of the Act to any other area in the State with effect from such date as may be specified in the notification, and may, by like notification, cancel or modify such notification or withdraw the application of all or any of the provisions of the Act from any area mentioned in the Schedule. From a reading of S.1(3), it can be discerned that the Act applies to the areas mentioned in the Schedule. In Vythiri Panchayat the Act has been made applicable as per Notification No.28199/82/70 P.O. dated 16-4-1971 of the Kerala Gazette dated 27-4-1971. In the notification it is stated that the Act would apply to the area within the jurisdiction of the Vythiri Panchayat in Kozhikode District. When a particular area is carved out and removed from Vythiri Panchayat and that area forms part of Pozhuthana Panchayat, it would not be possible to hold logically that the aforesaid area continues to remain in the former panchayat. In other words, the area of Vythiri Panchayat is at present in Pozhuthana Panchayat can no longer be considered as part of Vythiri Panchayat at all.

4. As it is always open to the Government by notification in the Gazette to apply all or any of the provisions of the Act to any other area, Pozhuthana Panchayat can also well be brought in as a area where the provisions of the Act would apply. Proviso to S.1(3) is to the effect that no such notification shall be issued unless it is supported by a resolution passed by the local authority or authorities, if any, of the areas affected by the notification. The proviso throws sufficient light to a situation where at the instance of the local authority or authorities the area could be brought under the notification under S.1(3). For application of all or any of the provisions of the Act notification by the Government is indispensable. But the Government can issue notification only on the basis of the resolution passed by the local authority. Thus, the position is clear that when a portion of a panchayat where the Act applies is taken off from that panchayat to form a new panchayat, merely because the Act applies to that area there will not be any automatic application of the Act to the newly constituted panchayat. For application of the Act notification by the Government is necessary and the Government can act only on the strength of the resolution passed by the local authority. In the absence of any such resolution and Government's action pursuant to it for notifying the area coming within the provisions of the Act, it cannot be said that with regard to a portion of Vythiri Panchayat now within Pozhuthana Panchayat the