1. The revision petition arises out of the petition filed by the respondents for eviction under S. 10(2)(i) of the Tamil Nadu Buildings Lease and Rent Control Act, hereinafter referred to as the Act, the respondents, hereinafter will be referred to us the landlords and the petitioner will be referred to as tenant. The case set out in the petition for eviction is as follows:

The tenant is in occupation of an area of 2, 547 sq. ft. in the ground floor of premises bearing No. 138, Thambu Chetty Street, Madras-1 and paying a rent of Rs. 1,200/- per mensem and purpose of the tenancy is nonresidential. The tenant was paying rent all along by cash or cheque and the landlords used to issue receipt then and there as soon as the payments are made. The last payment of the rent was for the month of April 1987 paid in May 1987. Thereafter, the tenant did not pay any rent i.e. from May 1987. The building has three floors apart from the ground floor and one S.P. Balasubramaniam became tenant in 1984 with respect to floors 1, 2 and 3 excepting for a small portion in the first floor. He never paid rent and there were arrears of Rs. 2,70,000/- The landlords wrote to the Corporation of Madr