V R MANJUNATH Vs. M V VEERENDRA KUMAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This writ petition is directed against an order renewing licence as per Ext.-A, in respect of a theatre situate at No. 1, Old Madras Road, Bangalore, in favour of respondent-1.

(2.) The writ-petitioner, according to him, is the landlord of the premises and his grievance is tha,t Respondent-1 was not in lawful possession of the theatre and the land on the date on which the District Magistrate renewed the licence. According to him, under Rule 6 of the Karnataka Cinemas (Regulations) Rules, 1971, it was necessary for the applicant before the District Magistrate to produce documents and to prove to the satisfaction of the licensing authority that he was in lawful possession of the site and the theatre with equipment, before the licence could be renewed. It is the case of the present writ-petition- erlandlord that he had leased the theatre for a period of ten years from 10-7-1970 and the lease came to an end by efflux of time on 9-7-1980 and, as such, he submitted that the applicant, on the date on which he applied for renewal of licence was not in lawful possession of the theatre and the premises and, as such, the licence could not be renewed.

(3.) The writ petition is resisted firstly on the ground that the present writ- petitioner has no locus standi to come up with this writ petition as he has not suffered any pers9nal injury or grievance and, secondly, that there is no merit in the contention that respondent-1 in the writ petition was not in lawful possession of the premises and the theatre on the date on which the licence was renewed.