S VENKITACHALAMIYER Vs. S RAMA IYER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is an appeal by special leave against the decision of a learned single Judge of the Madras High Court in Civil Revision Petition No. 2792 of 1979 filed in that Court. We propose to set out only the few. facts necessary for the disposal of the appeal.

(2.) THE appellant is the managing trustee of a trust. THE said trust owned two properties comprising 60 cents and 20 cents of land at Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu. THE said lands were leased by the appellant to one Padakalingam in 1930 who in turn assigned the lease in favour of one Ramaswamy Mudaliar in 1931. Swami Mudaliar secured a further assignment of the said lease from the said Ramaswamy Mudaliar. Swami Mudaliar put up a building on the said land and the respondent herein purchased the,building from him in 1943 for a sum of Rs. 4,475.00. In 1944 the trust had leased out the said property in favour of the respondent for six years. THE terms of the lease are not relevant for the purposes of resolving the controversy raised before us. As the respondent failed to pay the rent to the Trust, the Trust filed a suit for ejectment against the respondent which suit was later transferred to the District Munsifs Court, Nagercoil. THE said suit was decreed by the learned District Munsif. THE decree for eviction was passed by the learned District Munsif on condition that the respondent will pay to the appellant costs of the building or the superstructure. This litigation was carried up to the High Court in Second Appeal. THE decree of the trial Court for eviction was upheld by the High Court. During the pendency of the second appeal an application was filed by the respondent under S. 9 of the Tamil Nadu Tenants'Protection Act, 1921, as amended by Act XIX of 1955 and Tamil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969 (hereinafter referred to as "the said Act"). THE provisions of the said Act were extended to Nagercoil town in respect of non-residential buildings by a government order which was published in the Gazette on 29/06/1975. In the said application under S. 9 of the said Act ,the respondent claimed that the appellant should be directed to sell out of the said property, the land adjoining the said building and necessary for the beneficial enjoyment of the building on such terms and conditions as might be fixed by the Court. This application was resisted by the appellant. THE District Munsif's Court, Nagercoil, dismissed the said application of the respondent on the ground that a previous application with the said prayer had been dismissed and hence, a fresh application for the same relief was barred. THE respondent preferred an appeal to the Sub-Court at Nagercoil which was allowed by the learned Subordinate Judge. THE High Court took'the view that the decree in favour of the appellant was a simple decree of ejectment and did not take away the right of the respondent to the building or superstructure. It further took the view that the deposit of the amount of costs of the superstructure by the appellant did not affect the right of the respondent. THE respondent had not surrendered the possession of the property despite the deposit of the amount of compensation by the appellant and the appellant had been compelled to resort to the Court. THE execution proceedings were stopped. THE High Court held that in these circumstances, the respondent was entitled to make an application under S. 9 of the said Act during the pendency of the execution proceedings. THE High Court also dismissed the review petition preferred by the appellant.

(3.) AS far as the superstructure is concerned, the said superstructure was put up by Swamy Mudaliar from whom the respondent had purchased it as pointed out earlier. Thus, as far as the building or superstructure is concerned, the High Court was entitled to stake the view that it was put by a predecessor in interest of the respondent. In these circumstances, the respondent was certainly a tenant entitled to compensation under S. 3 of the said Act and was entitled to make an application under S.9 of the said Act. The submissions of Mr. Krishnamurthy lyer to the contrary cannot be accepted.