# NAIBAHU v. RAMNARA YAN & OTHERS

- **Citation:** [1978] 1 S.C.R. 723
- **Court:** Supreme Court of India
- **Decided:** 1977-10-14
- **Case number:** Civil Appeal No. 25 of 1971
- **Bench:** P. K. GosWA'1l, Jaswant Singh
- **Source:** https://unisonlegal.in/judgment/supreme-court-of-india/naibahu-v-ramnara-yan-others-7312
- **Pages:** 9

## Headnote

723
A
Madhya Pradesh Acco1n111odation
Control Act, 1955- Nullity-Consent
B
decree, if a nullity-If requiren1ents of provisions of A ct lnust be satis{iedJflhether pleadings and eridence can be looked into-Whether consent decree
!;'"ljvint.: till!t' to racate ca11 crl'ate .fre.\h tc11a11cy-Constru,;tio11 of a doc1u11ent-
}Vhether dominant i11te11tio11 111ust guide the constructio11-Whether consent decree t.:iving tilne to racatl~ bad for non-registration.
The appellant filed a suit for eviction against the respondent tenant.
All the
witnesses on behalf of the appellant were examined.
Thereafter 2
witnesses
were exnn1ined on behalf of the respondents. At tha•t stage a joint co1npromise
C
petition was filed settling the matter.
The compromise deed provided that the
respondents admitted the full claim of the nppellant for ejecttnent. arrears of rent
and rnesne profits on the conditions that the respondents would put the appellant
in \'ncant and peaceful possession of the entire tenancy premises except certain
. portion and that the said portion would be vacated on the expiry of 5 years;
and that the future nlesne profits would be paid.
Tt also provided that the respondents would be entitled to construct separate latrine and urinal in the -verandah near the staircase; that the respondents would remove their sign boards
to the extent they prevent the proper light and air to the portion of the appellant
D
on the second storey .
. After the 5 years' period expired, the appellant took out execution proceedings which were resisted by the respondents.
The plea of the adjustment raised
by the respondents \V:-io;; neg8tivcd in the first round of litigation. Howev.er, th~
re.:;pondents challenged the decree as a nullity and further contended th<:it the
decree incorporated a lease \Vhich on account of non-registration was invalid
and, therefore, not executable.
The Trial Court rejected the objections raised
by the respondents.
An appeal filed bv the respondents \Vas dismissed.
The
Jligh Court allowed the second appeal filed by the respondents holding that the
tern1 of compromise created a ne\v demise on different terms in regard to the
premises which were not identical with the premises covered by the original
lease. The High Court also held that the decree was passed in contravention
of the provisions of l\Ja<lhya Pradesh Accon1mo<lation .Control Act, 1955. The
High Court also held that compromise purported to create a lease for 5 vcars
which \Vas ineffective on account of non-registration.
Allowing the appeal,
HELD: ( 1) It is \Vell-settled that v.1here the Rent Control and Restrictions
Act are in operation a landlord cannot obtain eviction of the tenant unless he
can satisfy the requirements of the provisions in those Acts. It is also v.'ell
settled that if the court does not find the permissible grounds for eviction disclosed in the pleadings and other materials on record no consent or compromise
would give jurisdiction to the court to pass a v<1lid decree of eviction.
[726
,G-H]
(2) The court after going through the pleadings and the evidence ca1ne to
the conclusion that there was sufficient material for the court to be satisfied
about the existence of the ground for eviction. The court held that if the
pleadings and other materials on record make out a prima facie case about the
existence of stat11tory grounds for eviction the compromise decree cannot be
t~eld to be invalid and the executing court \Vill have to give effect to it.
[729 D-El
Konclwda Ra1na11u1rthy Subudhi & Anr. v. Gopinath Naik, 1968(2) SCR
559; Rosha11 Lal v. Madan Lal. 1976(1) SCR 878; Girdharilal (dead) by L. Rs
\I. Hukan1 Sin1d1 and Ors. AlR 1977 SC 129; Kartar SinRh v. Cha1nan Lol &
Ors. 1970(1) SCR 9 and K. K. Chari 1·. R. M. Seshadri, 1973 (3) SCR 691,
referred tti.
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724
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1978] I S.C.R.
A
Dr. Copa[ Dass Vcr1na v. Dr. S. K. Bhardwaj and Another. 1962 (2) SCR
"""'
B
c
678, distinguished.
(3) The Court after a careful consideration of t

## Text

-
NAIBAHU
v.
RAMNARA YAN & OTHERS
October 14, 1977
[P. K. GosWA'1l AND JASWANT SINGH, JJ.]
723
A
Madhya Pradesh Acco1n111odation
Control Act, 1955- Nullity-Consent
B
decree, if a nullity-If requiren1ents of provisions of A ct lnust be satis{iedJflhether pleadings and eridence can be looked into-Whether consent decree
!;'"ljvint.: till!t' to racate ca11 crl'ate .fre.\h tc11a11cy-Constru,;tio11 of a doc1u11ent-
}Vhether dominant i11te11tio11 111ust guide the constructio11-Whether consent decree t.:iving tilne to racatl~ bad for non-registration.
The appellant filed a suit for eviction against the respondent tenant.
All the
witnesses on behalf of the appellant were examined.
Thereafter 2
witnesses
were exnn1ined on behalf of the respondents. At tha•t stage a joint co1npromise
C
petition was filed settling the matter.
The compromise deed provided that the
respondents admitted the full claim of the nppellant for ejecttnent. arrears of rent
and rnesne profits on the conditions that the respondents would put the appellant
in \'ncant and peaceful possession of the entire tenancy premises except certain
. portion and that the said portion would be vacated on the expiry of 5 years;
and that the future nlesne profits would be paid.
Tt also provided that the respondents would be entitled to construct separate latrine and urinal in the -verandah near the staircase; that the respondents would remove their sign boards
to the extent they prevent the proper light and air to the portion of the appellant
D
on the second storey .
. After the 5 years' period expired, the appellant took out execution proceedings which were resisted by the respondents.
The plea of the adjustment raised
by the respondents \V:-io;; neg8tivcd in the first round of litigation. Howev.er, th~
re.:;pondents challenged the decree as a nullity and further contended th<:it the
decree incorporated a lease \Vhich on account of non-registration was invalid
and, therefore, not executable.
The Trial Court rejected the objections raised
by the respondents.
An appeal filed bv the respondents \Vas dismissed.
The
Jligh Court allowed the second appeal filed by the respondents holding that the
tern1 of compromise created a ne\v demise on different terms in regard to the
premises which were not identical with the premises covered by the original
lease. The High Court also held that the decree was passed in contravention
of the provisions of l\Ja<lhya Pradesh Accon1mo<lation .Control Act, 1955. The
High Court also held that compromise purported to create a lease for 5 vcars
which \Vas ineffective on account of non-registration.
Allowing the appeal,
HELD: ( 1) It is \Vell-settled that v.1here the Rent Control and Restrictions
Act are in operation a landlord cannot obtain eviction of the tenant unless he
can satisfy the requirements of the provisions in those Acts. It is also v.'ell
settled that if the court does not find the permissible grounds for eviction disclosed in the pleadings and other materials on record no consent or compromise
would give jurisdiction to the court to pass a v<1lid decree of eviction.
[726
,G-H]
(2) The court after going through the pleadings and the evidence ca1ne to
the conclusion that there was sufficient material for the court to be satisfied
about the existence of the ground for eviction. The court held that if the
pleadings and other materials on record make out a prima facie case about the
existence of stat11tory grounds for eviction the compromise decree cannot be
t~eld to be invalid and the executing court \Vill have to give effect to it.
[729 D-El
Konclwda Ra1na11u1rthy Subudhi & Anr. v. Gopinath Naik, 1968(2) SCR
559; Rosha11 Lal v. Madan Lal. 1976(1) SCR 878; Girdharilal (dead) by L. Rs
\I. Hukan1 Sin1d1 and Ors. AlR 1977 SC 129; Kartar SinRh v. Cha1nan Lol &
Ors. 1970(1) SCR 9 and K. K. Chari 1·. R. M. Seshadri, 1973 (3) SCR 691,
referred tti.
E
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724
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1978] I S.C.R.
A
Dr. Copa[ Dass Vcr1na v. Dr. S. K. Bhardwaj and Another. 1962 (2) SCR
"""'
B
c
678, distinguished.
(3) The Court after a careful consideration of the terms of the con1pron1iseand the whole tenor of the compromise came to the conclusion that there \Vas
no intention to create a lease between the parties.
It is the dominant intention
of the docu1nent which must guide the construction of its contents.
In the recital at 3 places it is stated categorically that the plai_ntiff shall be entitled to
execute her decree against the defendants. Thus there was no intention to create
a lease.
The few alterations and improvements agreed upon by consent were
mefely an arrangen1ent for vacating two floors and in order to vacate the remaining portion after using it for 5 years.
Therefore, there is no question of ,
regi~tration of the decree. [731 A-C]
(4) There is nothing in the Madhya Pradesh Act to bar an eviction fron1 a
building if a non~residential accommodation is genuinely required not only for
non·residential use but also a portion of it for bona fide personal residence.
[731-Dl
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 25 of 1971.
(Appeal by special leave from the judgment and order dated
19-8-1970 of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Misc. Second Appeal
No. 64 of 1968).
G. B. Pai, S. C. Jain, S. S. Kha11d11ja and Baij Nath Pandey, for
D
the appellant.
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G. L. Sanghi and A., G. Ratnaparkhi, for the respondents.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
GOSWAMI, J.-This appeal, by special leave, is directed against the
judgment of the Madhya Pradesh High Court of August 19, 1970. The
facts and circumstances in this appeal disclose the highly tortuous
nature of litigation between the landlord and the tenants.
To highlight this aspect we may briefly state the facts.
A suit was filed by the appellant on February 17, 1959, for eviction of the respondents (tenants) from a thrce-storeyed premises. The
tenants resisted the claim and trial proceeded in which, after the close
of the plaintiff's case, the tenants examined two witnesses and
lhe
suit was adjourned for their further evidence to July 12, 1960.
On
that day a joint compromise petition was filed settling the matter. Statement of counsel on both sides was recorded by the court on the same
day and an order was passed on the following day, namely, July, 13,
1960 and a decree was passed in terms of the compromise.
Without
referring to the d<Jtails of the terms of compromise at this stage,
it
may be stated that the decree of eviction was executable only after five
years.
Five years passed.
The appellant took execution·on July 21, 1965.
The execution was resisted by the tenants.
They set up a plea of
adjustment under Order 21, rule 2 Civil Procedure Code.
The said
objection was rejected by the court on December 10, 1966.
An
appeal against the said order was also rejected on July 13, 1967.
A
second appeal by the tenants was dismissed by the High Court on September 27, 1968.
Thus the first litigation regarding plea of adjustment of the decree terminated in the High Court on September 27
1968.
-
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NA! BAHU v. RAMNARAYAN (Goswami, J.)
72.5
Even so, the tenants had already opened another front of attack
Ao
against the decree on July 17, 1967, by means of an application in the
executing court while the earlier litigation in respect of adjustment of
the decree was pending.
By that application the tenants challenged
the d~cree as a nullity and further objected that the decree incorporated
a Jear;e \Vhich, on account of non-registration, was invalid and therefore
was not executable.
The application was rejected by the executing
court on July 20, 1967.
The judgment debtor then approached the
B:
appeal court which also did not oblige and dismissed this appeal.
Undaunted, the judgment-debtor filed a second appeal before the
High Court of Madhya Pradesh and this time successfully.
The High
Court allowed the appeal and set aside the order.
According to the
High Court the main question for consideration in the appeal before
it was "whether the terms of the decree, which was passed on the basis
C
of a compromise between the parties, created a fresh tenancy and so
inhibited the decree-holder from terminating it and taking possession
of the demised premises otherwise than in accordance with the provisions of section 12 of the M.P. Accommodation Control Act".
Ans· ,
wering the question in favour of the appellants (respondents hereinl
the High Court held that "the terms of compromise created a new demise on different terms in regard to the premises which were not idenDJ
ti cal with the premises covered by the original lease".
The High Court
also held that the decree was passed in contravention of the provisions.
of the Act.
The High Court also observed that "the compromis~
decree purported to create, as shown, a lease for five years" and was
"ineffective'' on account of non-registration.
The High Court refused to grant leave for Letters Patent Appeal
and hence this appeal by special leave.
Mr. G. B. Pai, ,Jearned counsel for the appellant, submits that the
High Court was entirely wrong in holding that the decree was a nullity.
He submits that the case is squarely covered by the decision of this
Court reported in Konchada Ramamurthy Subudhi & Anr. v. Gopinath Naik.(')
In the said appeal the only point raised was whether
"'
the compromise decree created a lease or a licence.
On the terms of
"'
the compromise this Court held that it did not create a lease as "the
intention of the parties was not to enter into the relationship of a la]1dlord and tenant".
Mr. Pai also drew our attention to the decision of
this Court in Roshan Lal v. Madan Lal.(')
This Court observed in
that decision as follows :-
"If the agreement or compromise for the eviction of the
G
tenant is found, on the facts of a particular case, to be in
voilation of a particular Rent Restriction or Control Act, the
Court would refuse to record the compromise as it will not be
a lawful agreement. If on the other hand, tl1e Court is satisfied on consideration of the terms of the cqmpromise and,
if necessary, by considering them in the context of the pleadings and other materials in the case, that the a~recment is lawH
(1) [19681 2 S.C.R. 559.
(2) [ 197611 S.C.R. 878.
A
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726
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
fl 978) 1 S.C.R.
ful, as in any other suit, so in an eviction suit, the Court is
bound to record the compromise and pass a decree in accordance therewith".
With regard to the objection that the decree \Vas unregistered,
~\!Ir.
Pai relied upon a decision of this Court in Girdlzari/al (dead) by L. R<.
v. Hi1ka111 Singh and othen(') and read to us the following obse1 'ations therefrom
"Even though the decree of a Court embodies an agreement between the parties, we do not think that the agreement
between the parties placed before us, involving the recognition of a transfer, could require registration unless the terms
of the compromise decree necessarily involved the execution
of a deed of conveyance also."
Mr. Pai finally submits that a perusal of the terms of compromise in
the joint application under Order 23, rule 3 of the Civil procedure
Code and the order of the trial court in pursuance thereof and other
materials on record will clearly show that the court was satisfied that
a lawful compromise was entered upon between the parties and that
there was ground for eviction of the tenants as required under
the
Jaw.
The decree was, therefore, not a nullity and was dearly
executable, says Mr. Pai.
On the other hand, Mr. Sanghi on behalf of the
tenants submits
that the decree was clearly invalid as it was passed in the teetli of the
previsions of the Madhya Pradesh Accommodation Control Act, 1955
and it cannot be held that the court was satisfied that the compromise
was lawful to enable it to pass a decree for eviction.
According to
counsel, any compron1ise \VhiCh is against the hl\V cannot confer
on
the Court a jurisdiction to pass a decree on its basis.
Mr. Sanghi
further submits that the plaint in this case disclosed that the premises
were let out for non-residential purpose.
Since the plaintiff sought
for eviction from the premises on the composite ground of bona (lde
requirement for residence as well as for business of money-lending a'1d
also to start her own business of cloth as she had no other accommodation in the city for those purposes, the court has no jurisdiction
to pass a decree en those grounds because originally the premises were
let out for non-residential purpose.
Jt is well-settled that where the Rent Control and Rcsirictions Acts
arc in operation, a landlord cannot obtai11 eviction of the tenant unless he can satisfy the requirements of the provisions in those Acts.
The general law of landlord and tenant to that extent will give way
to the special Act in that behalf.
It is also well-settled that i[ the
court does not find the permissible grounds for eviction disclosed in
the pleadings and other materials on the record, no consent or compromise will give jurisdiction to the court to pass a valid decree of
eviction.
(l) A.LR. 1977 S.C. 129.
-
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NAI BAHU v. RAMNARAYAN (GoJWami, J.)
727
It will, therefore, be appropriate at this stage to look to the nature
A
of the suit disclosed in the plaint. It is stated in the plaint that "the
defendants arc carrying on their business jointly in the aforesaid tenancy premises in the name and style of Lala Ramswarup and Sons".
Para 4 of the plaint discloses the grounds under section 4
of the
Madhya Pradesh Accommodation Control Act, 1955 which are to the
effect that the plaintiff requires the premises for her own bona fide
residence and also for her business of money lending and to start her
B
own business of cloth and that she has no other suitable accommodation for either purpose in the city of Jabalpur.
She has also mentioned the business need of her brother, Tek Chanel, whose income from
the business will he utilised to meet the expenses of the plaintiff. It is
also stated that the defendants have built and acquired vacant possession of accommodation in Manjipura, Jabalpur and were in possession
of three three-storeyed houses having three spacious shop premises
C
therein.
·
It will be necessary now to set out below the terms of compromise
arrived at by the parties on the basis of which the decree was passed :-
"l. That the defendants admit the full claim of the plaintiff for ejectment, arrears of rent and mesne profits as claimO·
ed in the suit on the following conditions :-
(a) That the defendants shall put the plaintiff in a vacant
and peaceful possession of the entire tenancy premises
except portion of the ground floor only shown by
letters A.B.C.D.E. in the map attached with this
application, today.
lf the defendants fail to do so
E
the plaintiff shall be entitled to execute her decree
against the defendants for the same at their costs.
The portion shown by letters A.B.C. D.E. is of the
ground floor only.
(b) That the defendants shall vacate the portion marked
by letters A.B.C.D.E. of the ground floor in the map
attached with this application and put the plaintiff in
its vacant possession by 15-7-1965. (Fifteen
July
Nineteen hundred and sixty five).
If the defendants
do not vacate the same by this date, the plaintiff
shall
be entitled to execute her decree against the
defendants for possession cf this portion at their
costs.
2. That towards mcsne profits
from
15-2-59 upto
14-7-1960 the defendants have already passed a cheque
dated 11-7-1960 bearing No. 28264 drawn on the Central
Bank of India.
3. That towards mense profits from 15-7-1960 onwards
the defendants shall pay Rs. 170/- per month to the plaintiff till they actually vacate the house by the appointed date.
The defendants shall pay a sum of Rs. 3,000/- to the
plaintiff by 15-8-1960 towards mcnse profits from 15-7-60
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7.28
SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1978] ! S.C.R.
onwards in advance.
This amount is liable to be adjusted
towanls mensc profits at the rate of Rs. 170/- per mcntll
from 15-7-1960 onwards.
After this amount is fully adjusted the defendants shall pay Rs. 170/- per month regularly
on the 15th of the next month.
If the defendants fail to
comply with the above terms the plaintiff shall be entitled
to execute her decree against the defendants for the same
and in that case the defendants shall he liable for the costs
of execution.
4. That the parties shall bear their respective costs of
the suit.
The parties shall not now claim anything against
each other on account of costs awarded to them bv the
courts in previous litigation between the defendants ai1ct the
plaintiff's husband.
5. That the defendants shall be entitled to construct a
septic latrine and urinal in the verandah near the stair case
near points D and C shown in the map at their own costs.
The plaintiff shall allow the defendants facilities to make
a drain for the proper discharge of water etc. from the septic
latrines and urinal through her court yard.
The cost of
the drain will be borne by the plaintilI.
6. That the defendants shall remove their sign Boards
etc. to the extent they are preventing the proper light and
air to the portion of the plaintiff on the second storey.
PRAYER
The parties, therefore, pray that a decree in terms of the
above compromise be passed".
It is submitted by Mr. Sanghi that there is nothing to show either
on the face of the decree or even on the materials on the record
that the court applied its mind for the purpose of being satisfied
that a decree for eviction on any cf the admissible grounds under
section 4 of the Madhya Pradesh Accommodation Control Act, 1955'
(briefly the Act M.P. Act), were: present in the case.
Having examined the pleadings, the terms of the compromise as well as
the
statement of counsel of either party recorded by the trial court and
the resultant order passed thereafter, we are unable to accede to the
submission that the court did not apply its mind to the relevant question that was necdssary to be considered at that stage at the time of
passing the decree.
Mr. Sanghi next submits that the plaintiff did not at all establish
the valid ground for passing a decree for eviction under the M.P.
Act.
According to him the house was let out for non-residential
purpose, viz., for a shos.
He states that it is clear from the avcrments
in the plaint that the plaintiff wanted the house for her own use as
well as for the purpose of business. Counsel asserts that the ground
for eviction in this case is clearly under section 4(h) of the M.P.
Act.
Since on her own showing that the plaintiff seeks eviction for
a composite purpose, viz., for her residence and for business the
house being a non-residential accommodation she is not entitled t~
eviction under section 4(h) of the M.P. Act.
In this context
Mr.
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•
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;
NA! BABU v. RAMNARAYAN (Goswami, J.)
729
:Sanghi relies upon a decision of this Court in Dr. Gopal Dass Verma
v. Dr. S. K. Bhardwaj and Another(') and read to us the following
passage from that decision :
" .... where premises are Jet for residential purposes
and it is shown that. they are used by the tenant incidentally
for commercial, professional or other purposes with the
consent of the landlord the landlord would not be entitled
to eject the tenant even if he proves that he needs the premises bona fide for his personal use because the premises
have by their user ceased to be premises let for residential
purposes alone".
Mr. Sanghi also relied upon another decision of this Court in Kartar
.Singh v. Chaman Lal & Others(') where the decision in Dr. Gopal
Dass Verma (supra) has been followed.
It is true that a decree for eviction of a tenant cannot be passed
solely on the basis of a compromise between the parties (see K. K.
Chari v. R. N. Seshadri"(').
The Court is to be satisfied whether a
statutory ground for eviction has been pleaded which the tenant has
admitted by the compromise.
Thus dispensing with further proot,
on account of the compromise, the court is to be satisfied about compliance with the statutcry requirem~nt on the totally of facts of a
particular case bearing in mind the entire circumstances fron1 the stage
of pleadings upto the stage when the compromise is effected.
When a compromise decree is challenged as a nullity in the course
of its execution the executing court can examine relevant materials
·to find out whether statutory grounds for eviction existed in law. If
the pleadings and other materials on the record make out a prima
facie case about the existence of statutory grounds for eviction
a
compromise decree cannot be held to be invalid and the executing
court will have to give effect to it.
According to Mr. Sanghi when the house was let for non-residential purpose the appellant cannot succeed in ejecting the tenant from
the house for a composite purpo·se of residence as well as business
A
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and he submits that the principles laid down in Dr. Gopcil Dass
F
Verma (supra) fully support him.
Jn Dr. Copa/ Dass Verma (supra) this Court was dealing with
the provisions of Delhi & Ajmer Rent Control Act, 1952 (briefly tlle
Delhi Act).
Section 2(g) defines premises under that Act thus:
" 'Premises' means any building or part of a building
which is, or is intended to be let, separately for use as a
residence or for commercial use or for
any
other purpose, . . "
We may contrast the definition of accommodation in the M.P.
Act with which we are concerned.
Under section 3(a) of the M.P.
Act, "accommodation" means-
(x) any land which is not being used for cultivation;
I (I) [196212S.C.R. 678.
, r
(2) [1970] 1 S.C.R. 9.
'(l) [1973] 3 S.C.R. 691.
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SUPREME COURT REPORTS
[1978] 1 S.C.R.
(y) any building or part of a building, and it includes-
(!) garden, open land and out hcuses, if any, appurtenant to such building or part of a building;
(2) any furniture supplied by the landlord for use in
such building or part of a building;
( 3) any fittings allixed to such building or
part of a
building for the more beneficial enjoyment thereof".
lt is significant that in the Delhi Act intention to let separately for
use as a residence or for con11nercial use or for any other purpose
is expressly mentioned under section 2 (g) thereof.
The principk
underlying the scheme for ·letting separately for different uses is
re·
fleeted in the Second Schedule to the Delhi Act in both Parts A and
B (see paras 3 to 5 both in parts A and B). The said differentiation
of purpose for separate letting docs not find such significant importance
in the M.P. Act as has been found by this Court in the Delhi Act Mr.
Sanghi, however, draws our attention to section 4(d) of the M.P. Act
which provides that if the tenant has done any act which is inconsistent
with the purpose for
which
he
was
admitted
to
the tenancy
of the accommodation,
that will furnish a ground for eviction under the M. P. Act.
He also relies upon s. 6 of the M.P.
Act where there is provision for compensation ln the case of eviction on the ground mentioned in clause (h) of section 4 in case of
non-residential accommo<lation.
C.ounscl therefore sub1nits that al--
though the word 'separately' is absent in the definition o[ "accommodation" in the M.P. Act there is no difference v,rhatsocvcr in the
actual intent of the provisions in the M.P. Act tc warrant a departure from the principles laid down in Dr. Gopal Dass Verma (supra).
We arc unable to accept the above submission.
It is clear that
under the Delhi Act the schem.c is significantly different from that of
the M. P. Act.
The definition of "premises" in the Delhi Act is
a
pointer.
Under the M.P. Act a landlord can seek eviction of a tenant from a non-rnsidcntiol accommodation if he genuinely requires
the same for his business purpose.
But the position is not the same
under the provisions of the Delhi Act where the landlord cannot ask
for eviction of a tenant fron1 the prcn1ises let for cominercial use even
if the former requires it huna fide for his own business purpose. The
landlord may seek eviction of the tenant on other grounds but not
on t.he: ground of bona fide requirement for his own business under
the Delhi Act.
This brings out the difference between the scheme
underlying the two Acts and Mr. Sanghi cannot call in aid the decision in Dr. Gopal Dass Verma (supra) in support of his submission.
The High Court was not right in its conclusion that the decree
\Vas
passed in contravention of the provisions of the' Act.
Mr. Sanghi also submits that the decree in this case incorporated a
lease for five years and in
absence of registration under section
17 (l) ( d) of the Regi~tration Act the decree is invalid and cannot be
acted upon.
As already pointed out this objection is untenable. in
.'(
•
NAI BAHU v. RAMNARAYAN (Goswami, l.)
731
view of the decision of this Court in Girdhari/al (supra). The question
would turn on the terms of the compromise.
After a careful consideration of the terms of the compromise and the whole tenor of the compromise petition it is absolutely clear that there was no intention to create
a lease between the parties.
It is the dominant intention of the docu·
ment which must guide the construction of its contents.
In
the recitals of the compromise
petition in
three
places it
is stated categorically that "the plaintiff shall be entitled to execute
her decree against the defendants".
There was therefore, no intention to create a lease with regard to any portion of the property
although certain arrangements had been entered for the intermediate
occupation of a certain portion before vacating that portion after
expiry of five years.
The few alternations and improvements agreed
upon
by consent were merely an arrangement for vacating two
floors and in order to vacate the remaining portion after using it for five
years. There wa·s no intention whatsoever to create a new lease. There
is, therefore, no question of registration of the decree.
The submission is devoid of substance.
The High Court is, therefore, clearly
wrong in holding that a lease was created by the compromise and that
the decree was ineffective on account of non-registration.
There is nothing in the M. P. Act to bar an eviction from a buildilig
if a 11.on-residential accommodation is genuinely required not only for
non-residential use but also a portion of it bona fide for per~onal residence.
We are clearly of opinion that the compromise decree in this
case is a lawful decree of eviction founded on permissible statutory
ground and there are sufficient materials to show that the trial court
;ipplied its mind and was satisfied that a valid decree under the M.P.
Act could be passed.
In the result the judgment and order of the High Court are set aside
and the orders of the lower courts are restored. The appeal is allowed
with costs.
ORDER
GOSWAMI, J. We have pronounced the judgment and order in this
appeal.
On the undertaking given by counsel on behalf of the respondents that they will voluntarily and peacefully vacafe the portion of
the premises in dispute in this appeal on or )Jefore 31st January, 1978
and h~nd over vacant al!d peaceful P?ssesston to the appellant, the
execut10n of the decree will be stayed till then. Meanwhile, the respon--
dents ~!so undertake to pay Rs. 1701- p.m. as mesne profits to the appellant w1thm the first week of the month due.
Failure to pay mesne
p~ofits as aforesaid will enable the decree-holder to execute the decree
without reference to this Conrt and the stay of the decree will automatically stand vacated.
P.H.P.
Appeal allowed.
I0-951SCI/77
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