SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

2011 Supreme(P&H) 898

2011(3) LAW HERALD (P&H) 2345
IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA
Before
The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain
CR No.5318 of 2010(O&M)
Surinder Kumar & Anr.
v.
Smt. Leela Devi
{Decided on 25/03/2011}

Advocates:
For the Petitioners:Mr. Pawan Sharma, Advocate.
For the Respondent:Mr. Vishal Garg, Advocate.

Headnote:(A) Punjab and Haryana High Court Rules and Orders--Vol. I, Part K, Rule 4--Adjournment--Case adjourned to an unanticipated holiday--All cases fixed for the day in question shall be deemed to be automatically adjourned to the next working day when the Presiding Officer is present and it shall be the duty of the parties or their counsel (but not of witness) to attend the Court on that day--Procedure explained.

       (B) Punjab and Haryana High Court Rules and Orders--Vol.I Part K, Rule 4--Adjournment--Declared Holiday--Held; if the adjourned date is not an unanticipated holiday but a holiday already declared in the calendar for the judicial Courts for the States of Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh or is a Sunday, then in that circumstance, Rule 4 of Chapter 1. Part K. Volume 1 of the Rules & Orders would not be applicable because it deals with only an unanticipated holiday and not a holiday which is already known--In these circumstances, the parties appearing before the Court in such type of cases, can always pray for a date for proper orders. (Para 9 & 11)

       (C) East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act, 1949, S.13--Eviction--Provisional Rent--Delay of one day--Cannot be condoned--Tender of rent--Case was fixed for 28.3.2010 which was Sunday for tender of rent --Case taken up on 29.3.2010--The counsel for the tenants did not ask for fixing a date for proper orders, rather he prayed for extension of time on the ground that the tenants has not come forward for the purpose of tendering rent due to death of a close relative--Tenant was given 10 days time to deposit rent and he was required to tender rent on 9.9.2010 but he deposited the rent on 10.9.2010--Tenant liable for eviction. (Para 9 & 12)

       

JUDGMENT

Mr. Rakesh Kumar Jain, J.:- The questions of law involved in this revision petition are as under:-

a) whether in a case of an unanticipated holiday, the Presiding Officer of a Court is obliged to fix a fresh date for proper orders on the next working day in terms of Rule 4 of Chapter 1, Part K, Volume 1 of the Rules & Orders of Punjab & Haryana High Court or can pass an effective order on the next working day?

b) whether if the holiday is not unanticipated, but the case is adjourned by the Presiding Officer to a Sunday or a declared holiday, is he required to fix a date for proper orders by taking up the case on the next working day?

2. The brief facts of the case are that the landlady filed a petition seeking eviction of her tenants from the demised premises bearing Shop No.1094, Morigate, Manimajra, U.T. Chandigarh, which was allegedly rented out to them by way of a lease deed dated 03.12.2004 @ Rs.4,000/- per month w.e.f. 01.12.2004 to 30.11.2005, @ Rs.4,200/- per month w.e.f. 01.12.2005 to 30.11.2006, @ Rs.4,410/- per month w.e.f. 01.12.2006 to 30.11.2007 and @ Rs.4,630/- per month w.e.f. 01.12.2007 to 30.11.2008. The ejectment was sought on the ground of non-payment of rent amounting to Rs.47,320/- up to 30.11.2007, w.e.f. 01.12.2007 to February, 2008 and also w.e.f. 01.12.2008 onwards. The tenants admitted that the lease deed was executed for a period of 3 years, but they denied the allegation of non-payment of rent and had rather submitted that the rent amounting to Rs.52,000/- was tendered in an earlier rent petition and as such, there was no arrears of rent which could be claimed by the landlady.

3. The learned Rent Controller, vide his order dated 17.12.2010, assessed the provisional rent @ Rs.4,000/- per month w.e.f. 01.12.2008 till February, 2010 alongwith interest @ 6% per annum and costs of Rs.1,000/- which was ordered to be tendered by the tenants on 28.03.2010, which fell on a Sunday, therefore, the learned Rent Controller took up the case on 29.03.2010 as it was automatically adjourned for the next working day in terms of Rule 4 of Chapter 1, Part K, Volume 1 of the Rules & Orders of Punjab & Haryana High Court [for short “Rules & Orders”]. The counsel for the tenants appeared on 29.03.2010, but the rent was not tendered, rather the extension of time was prayed on the pretext that a close relative of the tenants has expired. The landlady opposed the prayer of the tenants and alleged that the case is not required to be adjourned because the effective date of hearing, which falls on a holiday, is the next working day and since the tenants are not prepared with the amount of rent assessed by the learned Rent Controller, therefore, they are indulging into dillydallying tactics. The learned Rent Controller observed that the Court has no jurisdiction to extend the time for the purpose of tendering the rent in view of the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Rakesh Wadhawan Vs. M/s. Jagdamba Industrial Corporation, 2002(1) R.C.R. (Rent) 514 and as such, the order of eviction was passed on 29.03.2010. The tenants then filed statutory appeal before the learned Appellate Authority which was also dismissed on the ground that in case of non-tendering of the provisionally assessed rent on the date fixed, the learned Rent Controller had no other alternative but to pass the eviction order in view of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Rakesh Wadhawan’s case (supra) and also the Division Bench judgment of this Court rendered in the case of Rajan alias Raj Kumar Vs. Rakesh Kumar, 2010(2) PLR 201. It was also observed by the learned Appellate Authority that the tenants had not disclosed the date of death of their relative (father-in-law).

4. Aggrieved against the impugned orders passed by the learned Courts below, the present revision petition has been filed in which learned counsel for the petitioners/tenants has argued that in view of Rule 4 of Chapter 1, Part K, Volume 1 of the Rules & Orders, the learned R





















Click Here to Read the rest of this document

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Judicial Analysis

SupremeToday

SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top