1959 Supreme(Raj) 5
Rajasthan High Court
Sarjoo Prosad C.J. & Chhangani, J.
Motiram - Appellant
Versus
Parmanand - Respondents
D.B. Civil Reference No 59 of 1959
Decided On : January 07, 1959
Chandmal and Kishore Singh, for appellant; Gumanmal, for Respondent
Headnote:(a) Rent Control—Rajasthan Premises (Control of Rent and Eviction Act.) Sec. 13 (4) — Applicability — Tenant Contesting liability cannot get protection.(b) Transfer of Property Act, sec. 106—Notice—Invalidity—Defendant admitting receipt of notice but not producing same.
2. The plaintiff respondent instituted the suit against the defendant for ejectment and arrears of rent amounting to Rs. 150/- in the court of the Civil Judge Ganganagar on 3.9.1954. It was alleged in the plaint that the defendant took on lease a shop belonging to the plaintiff-respondent on Jeth Sudi 3, Smt. 2007, at Rs. 6/- per month. He paid rent upto Sawan Sudi 3, Smt. 2009, and had been continuously defaulting thereafter. Upto the date of the suit rent was due for a period of 25 months amounting to Rs. 150/-at the rate of Rs. 6/- per month.
3. The defendant contested the suit. He denied the liability for rent claimed by the plaintiff, and contended that only an amount of Rs. 54|- was due from him and that amount he was always prepared to pay, and the same had been remitted to the plaintiff under a money order, but the money order was refused. An objection to the maintainability of the suit was also taken on the ground that the notice to quit, which was served by the plaintiff on the defendant was defective, and did not result in the determination of the tenancy.
4. The trial court framed nine issues After evidence was led and when the case was fixed for arguments, the defendant paid in court an amount of Rs. 120/- on account of arrears of rent. The balance of Rs. 30/- appears to have been paid on an earlier occasion in connection with the deposit of Rs. 90/- on account of rent. In view of the deposit by the defendant of the arrears of rent due to the plaintiff during the course of the trial, the Civil Judge dismissed the suit.
5. On appeal by the plaintiff-respondent, the District Judge held that the fact of rent having been deposited during the course of the trial, after the evidence had been recorded, necessarily implied that the defendant had committed default, and deposited the amount only on account of an apprehension of a possible finding against him. In these circumstances treating the defendant as a defaulter and relying upon the proviso two to sec, 13(l)(a) of the Rajasthan Premises (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1950, he accepted the appeal, and passed a decree for ejectment. The defendant has come in second appeal.
6. The question as to whether the proviso two to sec. 13(l)(a) should be read subject to sub-sec. (4) of sec. 13 having been considered a very important question, the matter has been referred to a Division Bench. Since then there has been a Full Bench judgment of this Court in Daulatram vs. Lakhumal (F. B. Civil Ref. No. 38 of 1959 decided on 9th November, 1959) in which it has been laid down that the second proviso to sec. 1 3(l)(a) does not prevail over sec. 13(4); but on the other hand sec. 13(4) is applicable when the tenant does not take advantage of the first proviso or is prevented from taking ad vantage thereof owing to defaults mentioned in the second proviso. In other words, the tenant is entitled to the protection provided by sec. 13(4), even if he has made the default mentioned in the second proviso to sec. 13(1), as it stood prior to amendment Act XXIV of 1958. In this view of the law, the decree of the lower appellate court cannot be sustained on the ground relied upon by the District Judge. However, there is another point on which the decree for ejectment should be maintained. Sub-sec. (4) affords protection to a tenant in those cases where he does not raise a contest, except as to arithmetical calculations about the amount of rent. If a tenant denies his liability to pay rent and joins issue on that matter, and subsequently fails, it is not open to him to claim protection under sub-sec. (4) of sec. 13. For authority in this connection we may refer to Shambhoo Raw vs. Mangal Singh (1). In the present case the defendant having denied his liability to pay the rent and having joined contest, is not entitled to the protection of sub-sec. (4), and obviously he havi