MARUTRAO BHAURAO SHELKE Vs. AKBARALLI NOORBHAI BOHORI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is a tenant's petition under Article 227 of the Constitution of India, challenging the validity of a decree for possession passed in favour of the landlords -respondents Nos. 1 to 3. The petitioner was their tenant in respect of house No. 274, Ward No. 9 situate at Baramati. The suit was filed on the ground that the tenant had failed to pay arrears of rent for more than six months and the tenancy was terminated by a notice dated March 25, 1967.

(2.) THE suit was resisted by the petitioner on the grounds that the plaintiffs were demanding more than the agreed rent of Rs. 47.25, that the agreed rent itself was excessive and the standard rent should be determined, that the notice terminating his tenancy was received by him on April 1, 1967, that on April 28, 1967 he sent a cheque for Its. 1,015 drawn on Poona Central Co -operative Bank Ltd., Branch Baramati, by registered post to plaintiff No. 1 along with the reply to the notice, that plaintiff No. 1 refused to accept the delivery of the registered post and hence the plaintiffs were not entitled to a decree for eviction.

(3.) IT is rather strange that notwithstanding all this, although the defendant was a lawyer, he did not insist on a specific issue being framed under Section 12(1) of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947. It -was, however, the duty of the Court to frame such an issue, as it is the main protection which is given by the Bombay Rent Act to the tenant in respect of termination of the tenancy on the ground of non -payment of rent notwithstanding the readiness and willingness to pay rent on the part of the tenant. It is also clear from the record that, even during the pendency of the suit in the trial Court, the tenant paid all the arrears of rent and costs.