ETAKKANDI LAKSHMI AMMA Vs. THIRUMANGALATH CHATHU KURUP

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The only question for consideration is whether when a melcharthdar granted a renewal to the tenant, the shackles put on him by Section 40(2) of the Malabar Tenancy Act drop down.

(2.) The respondent obtained a melcharth in respect of the plaint mentioned properties. He filed a suit for eviction and in that suit, the tenant applied for renewal and the renewal was granted. He subsequently filed the suit out of which this appeal arises in which he sought to evict the tenant on the ground that he wanted the land for his own personal use. The tenants applied for renewal but their application was resisted on the ground that the landlord wanted the land for his own personal use under Section 20(5). The first Court allowed the contentions of the tenant and ordered a renewal. On appeal, the learned Judge held that the plaintiff was entitled to evict under Section 20(5) even though he was a melcharthdar, because he had granted a renewal in the prior suit and had thus become the landlord. Hence the appeal by the tenants whose petition for obtaining renewal was dismissed.

(3.) That the respondent obtained a right to the property by a melcharth from the original jenmi is not disputed. As a matter of fact, as melcharthdar he filed the suit for eviction and in that suit the renewal was granted. He now seeks to evict the tenant again and opposes the application for subsequent renewal. The learned District Judge observes that the view taken by the learned District Munsiff amounted to this, namely, that a melcharthdar can only be a melcharthdar and nothing else, and that just as a lessee can himself become a landlord by sub-leasing the tenancy, a melcharthdar also, by entering into a direct contract of tenancy with another, might become his landlord within the meaning of the Act. He therefore considered that by the previous renewal the plaintiff has become a landlord and therefore can file a suit under Section 20 of the Act. Evidently the learned District Judge has not noticed that a melcharth has been defined in Section 3(p) as being a " transfer by the landlord of a part of his interest in any land held by his tenant by which the transferee is entitled to evict such tenant." So by the very melcharth, the melcharthdar becomes entitled to evict and Section 40 (2) contemplates a suit by the melcharthdar under Section 14 or 20 of the Act. The section runs thus: No holder of a melcharth can when suing for eviction claim possession on grounds (5) and (6) of Section 14 or on grounds (5) and (6) of Section 20 as the case may be.