Judgment

P.P. Naolekar, J.—Leave granted in all the Special Leave Petitions.

2. In all the above appeals, a common question of law arises for determination and therefore they are heard together and are decided by the common Judgment.

3. All these appeals have been preferred by the tenants against whom a decree for eviction from their tenanted premises were passed by the Controller and confirmed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In three appeals, namely, S.L.P. (C) No. 17622/2003 - Mohinder Singh vs. Git Singh, SLP (C) 19540/2003 - Laxmi Kant vs. Surjit Singh Channa and SLP (C) 4566/2004 Shangara Singh vs. Malkiat Singh leave to contest were granted by the Controllers and after trial, decrees for ejectment were passed against the tenants. In other appeals, leave to contest the landlords’ applications’ for ejectment were rejected at the initial stage by the Controllers.

4. Certain provisions of The East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act, 1949 (hereinafter to be referred to as ‘The Act of 1949’) which have been inserted by Punjab Act No.9 of 2001 dated 31.5.2001 have been elaborately discussed by the High Court in the matter of Baldev Singh Bajwa vs. Monish Saini and therefore we wi