CHACKO KURUVILA Vs. C T S

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The plaintiff in O.S. No. 4 of 1976 is the petitioner. He challenges the order of the learned Munsiff in I.A. No. 1215 of 1980 allowing the prayer of the defendants that the question of tenancy raised by them in terms of S.106 of the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963 should be referred to the Land Tribunal under S.125(3) of that Act. The case of the plaintiff is that he is the owner of a building in Kottayam which was the subject matter of proceedings for eviction in R.C.O.P. No. 108 of 1970 against the first defendant in the present suit which was a registered firm. That petition was allowed and it became final. When the plaintiff took steps for recovery, defendants 2 and 3 raised obstructions in terms of R.97 of O.21 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The obstruction petitions were dismissed and they are now pending in appeal before the District Court, Kottayam. These defendants stated that they were tenants of the site and were therefore entitled to fixity of tenure in terms of S.106 of the K.L.R. Act. That is a question with which I am not concerned in the present proceeding.

(2.) Sri. K. C. John, appearing for the petitioner, contends that a claim under S.106 is not germane to the present suit which is one for money by way of compensation for the use and occupation of the building subsequent to the order of the Rent Control Court. Decrees had been obtained by the plaintiff in two earlier suits against the present defendants for compensation in respect of this building for use and occupation thereof subsequent to 1970. These decrees became final and in respect of one decree the amounts had been realised. In none of these two suits had the defendants raised any contention on the basis of S.106. In the present suit also, such a contention bad not been taken until the matter went back to the Munsiff's Court upon remand by the Appellate Court. It was contended by the defendants in their appeal that the building in question had been constructed by them and the plaintiff was not therefore its owner. That was the matter which was directed to be considered upon remand. Counsel further submits that the case of the plaintiff has all along been that the land in question had been let out to one Kadutha. Kadutha constructed a building on that land. Subsequently Kadutha surrendered the land and the building on the expiry of the lease. The plaintiff thus became the full owner in possession of the building. It was subsequently that the first defendant firm was put into possession of the building and it is that firm against which the plaintiff obtained an order for eviction. The contention of the defendants is that they are not bound by the order against the firm. That contention is raised in their obstruction petitions which are now pending in appeal before the District Court. The present suit is solely for money and the question of tenancy does not arise.

(3.) Appearing for the respondents defendants, Sri. Narayanan Poti submits that the defendants are entitled to raise the question of tenancy at any stage and when such a question is raised the matter has to be referred to the Tribunal in terms of S.125(3). The question raised by the tenants relates to their right for proper determination of the rent in terms of sub-section (1A) of S.106. Their case is that the land which had been leased out to the firm of which they were partners was constructed upon by them. The building in question is what they had constructed. The land was leased to the firm for commercial or industrial purposes. They are therefore entitled to the protection of S.106 because the question which now arises in the suit concerns their liability to pay rent and that is a matter directly arising under sub-section (1A). S.125(3) is accordingly attracted.