SATISH CHANDRA, J. :- It appears that one Chaddha was the tenant of the shop in dispute. He abandoned it in 1966. Thereafter the respondents, namely, Ram Chand Kohli and Ganga Sagar entered into its possession under an agreement with the landlord and on payment of rent. They, however, did not obtain an order of allotment in respect of this shop from the Rent Control and Eviction Officer. In 1969, the appellants applied for the allotment of this shop. After hearing the respondents, the Rent Control and Eviction Officer passed an order of allotment in favour of the appellant. Aggrieved, the respondents filed a revision before the State Government which was, however, dismissed. The respondents then filed a writ petition in this Court. A learned Single Judge held that in law the accommodation could not be deemed to be vacant. There was hence no jurisdiction to pass an order of allotment. In the next place it was held that an order of allotment could validly be passed only after the respondents had been ejected from the accommodation in dispute by appropriate proceedings under Section 7-A of the U. P. (Temporary) Control of Rent and Eviction Act, 1947 (hereinafter referred to as the Act). So long as the respondents remained in actual possession (sic) findings the writ petition was allowed and the allotment order was quashed.

2. An order of allotment can be passed under Section 7 (8) of the Act when an accommodation is or has fallen vacant or is about to fall vacant. The question is whether an occupant of an accommodation by virtue of an agreement between him and the landlord can be deemed to be in lawful possession within the meaning of Section 7 (2) of the Act even if he does not have an allotment order in his favour. In Special Appeal No. 595 of 1961 (All.), Sangam Lal v. Rent Control and Eviction Officer, Allahabad (decided on 4-8-1966) a Division Bench of this Court held that where a general order has been passed by the District Magistrate under Section 7 (2) prohibiting the landlord from letting out any accommodation then, without an allotment order the letting in defiance of such a general order would be unauthorised and in the eye of law there was vacancy; and the Rent Control and Eviction Officer had jurisdiction to make an allotment order in respect of the premises. This case is

applicable on all fours. The fact that in that case the allotment order was passed in favour of the person who was in unauthorised occupation is immaterial; because the existence of vacancy is a condition precedent. Vacancy did not arise on the allotment order being passed in favour of the existing occupant.

3. Learned counsel for the respondent relied on Viswamitra v. Rent Control and Eviction Officer, Jhansi, 1967 All WR (HC) 473. In that case the tenant was in possession by virtue of a valid agreement. The landlord had determined the tenancy. It was held that the mere determination of tenancy did not make the accommodation about to fall vacant. In Lakshmi Narain v. Rent Control and Eviction Officer, Lucknow, 1962 All LJ 213 a decree for ejectment had been passed. In both these cases, the tenancy was valid. The tenant's possession at the inception of the tenancy was not unauthorised within the meaning of Section 7 (2) of the Rent Control Act. The question considered in these cases was whether on the determination of the tenancy by the landlord or by the passing of a decree for ejectment by a court, the accommodation in possession of the tenant can be said to be about to fall vacant. The question was answered in the negative. These cases are distinguishable.

In the present case, possession of the respondents was unauthorised from the very inception, because they had not obtained an order of allotment in their favour under Section 7 (2) of the Act. Within meaning of Section 7 (2), the respondents were not in valid or authorised occupation from the very beginning. So, no question of determining whether an accommodation, which was in the beginni