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1964 Supreme(All) 118

Allahbad High Court
JAGDISHSAHAI,G.C.MATHUR
State of U. P. - Appellant
Versus
Ram Narain Lal - Respondent
Decided On : 07/24/1964

Advocates:
Standing Counsel, for Appellants; R.K. Srivastava, and S.S. Verma, for Respondents.

Headnote:

U.P. CONTROL OF RENT AND EVICTION ACT - S. 7(2), R. 3, R. 4 - ALLOTMENT OF VACANT SHOP - JURISDICTION OF DISTRICT MAGISTRATE - TIME LIMIT OF THIRTY DAYS - INTERPRETATION OF RULES.

Fact of the Case:

The landlord of a shop in Pilibhit informed the Rent Control and Eviction Officer about the vacancy of the shop on January 5, 1957. The allotment order was made in favor of respondent No. 2 on March 27, 1957, more than thirty days after the intimation of vacancy. The petitioner, the original tenant, challenged the allotment order, arguing that it was passed without jurisdiction as it was made after the expiry of thirty days.

Finding of the Court:

The court held that the District Magistrate had jurisdiction to make an order of allotment even after the expiry of thirty days from the date of receipt of the notice of vacancy. The court interpreted Rule 3 of the Control of Rent and Eviction Rules, 1949, which provides a time limit of thirty days for making an allotment order, as directory and not mandatory. The court also held that Rule 4, which provides for the allotment of accommodation by the District Magistrate after the expiry of thirty days, would become ineffective if Rule 3 were interpreted as taking away the District Magistrate's power to make an allotment after thirty days.

Issues: Whether the District Magistrate had jurisdiction to make an order of allotment after the expiry of thirty days from the date of receipt of the notice of vacancy.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that Rule 3 of the Control of Rent and Eviction Rules, 1949, which provides a time limit of thirty days for making an allotment order, should be interpreted as directory and not mandatory. The court reasoned that such an interpretation would avoid a conflict between Rule 3 and Section 7(2) of the U.P. Control of Rent and Eviction Act, which confers power upon the District Magistrate to make orders of allotment without any time restriction. The court also held that Rule 4, which provides for the allotment of accommodation by the District Magistrate after the expiry of thirty days, would become ineffective if Rule 3 were interpreted as taking away the District Magistrate's power to make an allotment after thirty days.

Final Decision: The court allowed the appeal, set aside the order of the learned single judge, and dismissed the writ petition filed by the petitioner. The appellants were entitled to their costs of the appeal and of the writ petition from respondent No. 1.

Judgement

G. C. MATHUR, J. : This is a special appeal against an order of a learned single judge allowing Writ Petition No. 1437 of 1957 and quashing the order of allotment dated March 27, 1957, the order dated April 1, 1957, under S. 7-A of the U.P. Control of Rent and Eviction Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) made by the Rent Control and Eviction Officer, Pilibhit, and the order of the Commissioner dated May 9, 1957, in revision.

2. The respondent No. 1, Ram Narain Lal, in the owner, of a shop at Pilibhit. One Harish Bajpal was the tenant of this shop. The tenant vacated the same on or about December 30, 1956. Thereafter on January 5, 1957, the respondent landlord wrote to the Rent Control and Eviction Officer intimating that the shop had become vacant and asking that it be released in his favour. This application was received by the Rent Control and Eviction Officer on January 5, 1957. No allotment order was made by the Rent Control and Eviction Officer till March 27, 1957, when he allotted the shop in favour of respondent No. 2, Mohammad Shafi. In due course the Rent Control and Eviction Officer initiated proceedings under S. 7-A of the Act for the eviction of respondent No. 1. Respondent No. 1 filed certain objections to the proceedings under S. 7-A. Those objections were rejected by an order dated April 1, 1957. Against that order the petitioner filed a revision before the Commissioner, but the revision was also dismissed by an order dated May 9, 1957.

Thereupon the petitioner filed a writ petition before this Court. The only point that appears to have been raised before the learned single Judge by respondent No. 1 was that the order of allotment was without jurisdiction as it was passed more than thirty days after the intimation of vacancy was received by the Rent Control and Eviction Officer. This contention found favour with the learned single Judge with the result that he allowed the writ petition and quashed the impugned orders.

3. The learned single Judge has held that R. 3 of the Control of Rent and Eviction Rules, 1949 limited the time within which the District Magistrate could make an order of allotment to thirty days and that since in the present case the order of allotment was not made within this period the District Magistrate had forfeited his right to make any order of allotment. The appellants contend that the view of the learned single Judge that the District Magistrate lost all jurisdiction and power to make an order of allotment after the expiry of thirty days from the date of receipt of the notice of vacancy is erroneous and that R. 3 did not and could not take away the jurisdiction of the District Magistrate to make an order of allotment even after the expiry of thirty days. In support of their contention the appellants rely upon the decision of a Division Bench of this Court in Ram Avtar v. Rent Control and Eviction Officer, Jhansi, 1959 All LJ 8 : (AIR 1959 All 877). This case fully supports the contention of the appellants. It has been held in this case that though it is desirable that an order of allotment should be made within thirty days, the District Magistrate or the Rent Control and Eviction Officer does not lose power or jurisdiction to make an order of allotment even after the expiry of that period.

Learned counsel for the respondent No. 1 has brought to our notice certain observations made in Dr. A.C. Dass v. T. R. O. and D. S. O., Lucknow, 1962 All LJ 553 at p. 559. These observations are to the same effect as the decision of the learned single Judge under appeal; but in our opinion these observations are mere obiter dicta and have no binding force. Learned counsel for respondent No. 1 also referred us to the decision of a Full Bench of this Court in Ram Surat Singh v. Rent Control and Eviction Officer, 1964 All LJ 412 : (AIR 1965 All 49) (FB), but in our opinion the Full Bench decision is not relevant to (he decision of the question before us.

4. We are clearly of the view that the Dis





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