IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
SANGEETA CHANDRA, J.
Mukesh @ Lallu Saxena and Others – Petitioners
Versus
Addl. District Judge (Essential Commodities Act) Hardoi and Another – Respondents
Rent Control No. 11921 of 2017
Decided On : 01-07-2021
Constitution of India, 1950 – Writ petition - U.P. Urban Building (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972 - Section 3(g), 20 (4) - Small Causes Courts Act - Section 25 - Suit for ejectment - Respondent no. 2 and wife of his brother purchased the property in question on and after the death of his brother, the respondent alone is the legal heir and owner and landlord of the shop in question - The petitioners denied the notice of termination of tenancy saying that it was never served upon them - Whether Deepu, the nephew of late Rajesh Kumr Saxena could be said to be a family member under section 3(g) of 1972 Act - Whether non deposit of rent along with house tax and water tax and interest and costs on the first date of hearing before the Court concerned and thereafter failure to continuously deposit month to month of rent, house tax and water tax during the pendency of the suit would amount to the tenant be declared as defaulter.
Finding of the court: There were two legal questions to be considered by the Revisonal court; one relating to whether a nephew can be said to be a ‘family member’ under 1972 Act, and the other was whether house tax and water tax can be said to be included in the rent offered by the tenant in the absence of any agreement between the parties and whether failure to deposit arrears of rent and monthly rent thereafter in the learned trial court and during pendency of revision before revisonal court amounted to default, disentitling the tenant from the protection of Section 20(4) of Act 1972 - Both these question have been answered by the Revisonal Court based upon the evidence that was recorded by the learned trial court - No fresh evidence was taken to come to the findings as recorded in the judgment impugned - It is settled law that jurisdiction in SCC Revision is greater than the jurisdiction under Section 115 C.P.C. and less that of as appeal.
Result: Writ petition dismissed.
JUDGMENT :
SANGEETA CHANDRA, J.
1. Heard Sri. Anuj Dayal, learned counsel for the petitioner and Sri. Anurag Narain, learned counsel for the respondent-landlord.
2. It is the case of the petitioner that respondent no. 2 filed a Suit for ejectment on 13.07.2005 registered as SCC Suit no. 10 of 2005 on the ground that respondent no. 2 and the wife of his brother Vedrani purchased the property in question on 22.03.1984 and after the death of Vedrani, the respondent alone is the legal heir and owner and landlord of the shop in question. Respondent no. 2 had let out one shop (herein referred to as shop in question) to the father of the petitioners in 1985 on rent at the rate of Rs. 275/- per month which included house tax and water tax. The father of the petitioner had paid rent as well as house tax and water tax till 30th June, 2001. The father of the petitioners expired on 27.03.2004 and after his death petitioner had occupied the shop in question as a joint tenancy. In the plaint filed by respondent no. 2, it was alleged that notice was sent to the petitioners on 17.03.2005 for arrears of rent which they refused to accept. After lapse of statutory period, the of tenancy got automatically terminated on 07.07.2005. It was also stated in the plaint that petitioners had sub-let the premises to one Deepu son of Sri. Rajendra Kumar Saxena on rent of Rs. 1000/- per month and the shop in question is in possession of Deepu.
3. After filing of Suit the notices were issued to the petitioners, they filed written statement. Although they accepted relationship of landlord and tenant they stated that they were giving rent and house tax and water tax till January, 2005 but landlord was not giving any receipts to them. After January, 2005, landlord refused to accept the rent. The petitioners denied the notice of termination of tenancy saying that it was never served upon them. The petitioners are running a General Store in the shop in question and after death of their father, Deepu being his nephew was helping the petitioners in the shop and he was not a sub tenant as alleged in the plaint. It was also stated that the petitioners and their mother were compelled to prefer a suit for injunction which was registered as Regular Suit No. 72 of 2005 in the court of Civil Judge (J.D.) (West) in which interim order was passed that they should not be evicted except in accordance with law. Petitioners were liable to get benefit of Section 20 (4) of the U.P. Urban Building (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972 as they had already preferred an application for depositing the rent unconditionally before the court below in Regular Suit no. 72 of 2005. Since February, 2005 they were depositing the rent in SCC Suit No. 10 of 2005 (the petitioners made an application on 13.12. 2005 before the Judge Small Causes for permission for depository of rent in Court under section 20(4) which was accepted).
4. Learned Additional Civil Judge/Judge Small Causes Court framed seven issues for adjudication. The evidence of respondent no. 2 was taken. He admitted in his statement that he wanted the petitioners to vacate the premises because he wished to start a Coaching Center for his unemployed graduate son. Respondent no. 2 also accepted that Deepu was the nephew of late Rajesh Kumar Saxena, the original tenant and he was taking care of the shop but died during the pendency of the Suit.
5. It has been argued by learned counsel for the petitioners that in the statement given by the landlord before the learned court below he accepted the rent of the shop as Rs. 300/- which included water tax and house tax. In the statement of petitioner no. 1, he had stated that petitioner had deposited rent upto June 2005 and it was not disputed during cross-examination by the plaintiff.
6. Learned court below found that there was a relationship of landlord and tenant between the petitioner and respondent no. 2 and that the petitioner was also depositing the rent in SCC No. 10/2005 unde
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