VASANT PARSURAM SANE Vs. KAMLAKAR GAJANAN CHEVADE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) HEARD Shri Surana for the petitioner - tenant and Shri Pradhan for the respondents - landlords. This is a petition filed by the original defendant - tenant against the judgement and decree passed by the two courts below, decreeing the suit of the landlords on the ground that the petitioner - tenant was in arrears of rent for a period of 6 months or more and that, assuming that his case fell under the unamended provisions of Clause (b) of sub-section (3) of section 12 of the Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging House Rates Control Act, 1947, he had not regularly paid or tendered in Court the rent that had fallen due during the pendency of the proceedings. Having heard Shri Surana and Shri Pradhan a few facts necessary for the disposal of the petition may be said as under :

(2.) THE premises are room No. 4 which is a room in a chawl known as Tarabai Niwas behind Rationing Office, Murbad Road, Kalyan. The premises were let out to the petitioner in 1966 and the contractual rent was Rs. 40/- (Rupees forty only) per month. The petitioner had given a loan to the original landlady Tarabai, the predecessor in title of the present respondents. The said loan of Rs. 3,225/- (Three thousand two hundred twenty five only) was advanced on the 17th July, 1966 and the condition of repayment was that Rs. 20/- (Rupees twenty only) per month were to be adjusted towards the payment of rent, with the result that the petitioner - tenant was liable to pay Rs. 20/- per month plus the Education Cess till the loan of Rs. 3,225/- was adjusted. This was also the understanding recorded in the agreement dated 16th September, 1966 which is produced at Exh. 15. In accordance with this understanding at Exh. 15 the loan stood fully repaid by the end of December, 1979. During the year 1980 the petitioner sent the rent by money orders which was accepted. On 15th June, 1981 the petitioner sent a money order for Rs. 138/- towards the rent for the 6 months from January to June 1981. This was however refused by the respondents and the money order coupon is at Exh. 31. On the 14th July, 1981 the petitioner sent another money order for the month of July, 1981 which was also refused. Similar was the case for month of August, 1981. On 7th November, 1981 the petitioners money order for Rs. 92/- was also refused by the respondents and the coupon is at Exh. 33. It appears that there was some dispute as to what should be the amount of rent to be sent by the petitioner after the adjustment of the loan. This dispute resulted in the money orders being refused by the respondents landlords.

(3.) BE that as it may, on the 2nd November, 1981, the respondent issued the suit notice of demand under section 12 (2) of the Bombay Rent Act, demanding the total amount of Rs. 665/- towards the arrears of rent from January, 1980 to October, 1981 at the rate of Rs. 40/- plus Rs. 3 towards Education Cess per month. This notice is at Exhibit 17. On the 23rd November, 1981 the petitioner sent a reply through his advocate and denied the allegations. This reply is at Exhibit 16. However the petitioner promptly filed an application for fixation of standard rent on 27th November, 1981 being Misc Application No. 105 of 1981. Thus the application for fixation of standard rent was filed within the statutory period of 30 days. The respondents filed the suit for eviction on 16th December, 1981 being Regular Civil Suit No. 565 of 1981. The ground for eviction was, principally, that the petitioner was in debt for more than 6 months. It was also alleged that the petitioner had carried out certain permanent construction and that he had committed an act contrary to the provisions of section 108 (o) of the Transfer of Property Act. Thus a decree was prayed for also on the ground of section 13 (1) (a) and 13 (1) (b) of the Rent Act as they stood at the relevant time.