C. CHANDRAMOHANversusSENGOTTAIYAN (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS.

A                      C. CHANDRAMOHAN
                               v.
               SENGOTTAIYAN (DEAD) BY LRS. AND ORS.

                                 JANL'AR y 4, 2cca

B     [V.N. KHARE AND SYED SHAH MOHAMMED QUADRI, JJ.)

          Rent Control and Eviction :

          Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960 Section
C   10(2)(iJ--Evictiort-Wilful Default in payment uf rent· -Application for per-
    mission to deposit rent of premises by tenant dismissed by Court-Landlord
    withdrew rent deposited by the tenant before filing the eviction petition- -Nu
    default in payment uf rent subsists on the dace uf filing uf petition- -Held,
    landlord not entitled to claim eviction of tenant.

D          Section 10(2}--Eviction--Failure to tender cu"ect rent-Held, such
    failure cannot be tenned as wilful default in paymrnt uf rent.

           Section 10(2)(vii,-Eviction- -Denial of title uf landlord-Landlord
    derived title of the premises under release deed executed by hi.1· father-Tenant
E   not intimated about the release deed-After demi.1e uf landlord's father tenant
    started payment of rent to landlord- Did not deny relationship of landlord
    and tenant-Merely asseTted that landlord is a co-owner for lack uf knowledge
    of release deed-Held, does not amount to denial of title of landlord to ~·eek
    eviction unless tenant renounces his relationship as tenant.

F          Equity-Principles of-Persons cannot approbate and reprobate-Legis-
    lative recognitiort-Evidence Act, 1872-Section 116-Transfer of Propeny
    Act, 1882-Section lll(g).

          The appellant derived title to the premises under the release deed
G executed by his father but did not intimate about the ownership acquired
  under the release deed to the respondents. The appellant claiming a higher
  rent for the premises sent a notice to respondents to vacate the premises
  as it was required for demolition and rec!lnstruction. Meanwhile the
  respondents moved an application for permission to deposit rent in the
  court but the same was dismissed. The applicant filed eviction petitions
H against the respondents on the grounds of wilful default in payment of
                                           16
                    C. CHANDRAMOHAN v_ SENUUTTAIYAN-                           17
     rent, for demolition and reconstruction of the premises and denial of title     A
     of the landlord. The respondents contended that the quantum of rent
     claimed by the appellant was not correct and as the appellant was the
     co·owner he could not seek eviction of the premises. The respondents
     submitted that they were not aware of the execution of the release deed in
     favour of the appellant and were regularly paying rent to the appellant. The
     Rent Controller allowed the petitions on the basis of the evidence led before
                                                                                     B
     it. Aggrieved by the order the respondents filed appeals before appellate
     authority. The appellate authority dismissed the appeals. The respondents
     filed revision petitions before the High Court. The High Court allowing the
     revision petitions set-aside the order of eviction. Hence these appeals.
_/                                                                                   c
           Dismissing the appeals, this Court

            Held : 1.1. A combined reading of Section 10(2)(i), the proviso and
     the explanation as found in the T.N. Rent Control Act manifests that it is
     only when the Rent Controller is satisfied that a tenant's default to pay or
     tender the rent is wilful, he can order eviction of the tenant. The question    D
     of wilful default to pay or tender the rent to a landlord by a tenant is a
     mixed question of law and fact. [22-A]

           1.2. The appellant had withdrdwn the rent deposited by the respon·
     dents before the filing of the eviction petition. Having accepted the rent      E
     deposited, the appellant cannot legitimately contend that the respondents
     committed default in payment of rent of that period. That being the
     position on the date the appellant filed eviction petitions against the
     respondents, cause of action on the ground of wilful default in payment of
     rent was not subsisting to claim their eviction from the premises. [22·D·E]
                                                                                     F
          Dakaya (qi Dakaiah v. Anjani, [1995) 6 SCC 500, referred to.

          2.1. The ground for seeking eviction of the respondents was that the
     respondents failed to tender correct rent that was termed as wilful default
     in payment of rent. Such failure to tender correct rent cannot be wilful G
     default in payment of rent under Section 10(2) of the Act. [20-H; 21·A]

 .
 -
           3.1. To seek eviction on the ground of denial of the title of the
     landlord there should be denial of title of the landlord or claim of a right
     of permanent tenancy by the tenant and such denial or claim should not
     be bonajide. [23-F]                                                          H
    18                    SUPREME COURT Rf-PORTS                  [2000J 1 S.C.R.
A         3.2. To constitute denial of title of the landlord, a tenant should
    renounce his character as tenant and set up title right inconsistent with
    relationship of landlord and tenant, either in himself or in a third person.
    In the case of derivative title of the landlord in the absence of a notice of
    transfer of title in favour of the landlord or attornment of tenancy, a
B   tenant's assertion that the landlord is a co-owner does not amount to
    denial of his title unless the tenant has also renounced his relationship as
    a tenant. (23-G]

          3.3. The respondents neither denied the relationship of landlord and
    tenant nor did they stop paying rent to the appellant nor did they set up
C   any claim adverse to title or interest of the appellant in themselves or a
    third party and that after coming to know of the said release deed in favour
    of the appellant they did not persist in their plea that he was a co- owner,
    it cannot be said that the respondents denied the title of the appellant,
    much less can it be said that such a denial was not bonafide (24-F-G]

D         3.4. The High Court is right in coming to the conclusion that but for
    the release deed the appellant would be a co-owner and so the respondents
    were justified in calling the appellant as a co-owner for lack of knowledge
    of the release deed and that the appellant failed to make out a case of
    denial of his title to the premises by the respondents. (24-H]
E         4.1. The principle of equity that a person cannot approbate and
    reprobate finds legislative recognition in Section 116 of the Evidence Act
    and Section 111 (g) of the Transfer of Property Act. It is in the light of this
    principle section 10(2)(vii) of the Act has to be construed. (23-H]

F         CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION : Civil Appeal Nos. 6293-95
    of 1998.

         From the Judgm(!nt and Order dated 17.11.97 of the Madras High
    Court in C.R.P. Nos. 3796-3798 of 1994.

G         R. Yenkataramani, K.V. Mohan, Ajay Kumar Yadav and C.A.
    Brijesh for the Appellant.

           S. Sivasubramaniam, R. Nedumaran and MA. Chinnasamy for the                ==
     R:.:spondenb.

H          The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
    C. CHANDRA.\fOHAN "· SENGOTIAIYAN [SYED SHAH MOHAMMED Ql'ADRI, J.]   19

     ·SYED SHAH MOHAMMED Ql:ADRI, J. These three appeals, by                   A
special leave, arise out of the common judgment of the High Court of
Madras in C.R.Ps. 3796 to 3798 in 1994 dated November 17, 1997. The
common appellant is the landlord and respondents are the tenants of the
three shops. Door Nos. 19, 20 and 21, R.K.V. Road, Erode, (hereinafter
referred to as 'the premises')
                                                                               B
      The facts giving rise to these appeals may be noticed here.

        The father of the appellant, Late Chockalingam who was the owner,
let out the shops on rent bearing - Door No. 19 to T. Subramaniam (ii Rs.
75 per monthly; Door No. 20 (a) Rs. 250 per month to M. Sengottaiyan who       C
died during the pendency of the proceedings (his legal representatives are
brought on record as n:spondents 2 to 6), and Door No 21 to Nachimuthu
'.g) Rs. 2CO per month. They are said to be in occupation for the last 25 to
40 years. On June 8, 1978 the said Chockalingam executed release deed
(Exhibit P-4) in favour of the appellant and thus he became the absolute
owner and landlord of the premises.                                            D
       The landlord claimed that the rent of the shops, Door Nos. 19, 20
and 21, was enhanced to Rs. 400, Rs. 850 and Rs. 700 respectively. He
issut:d notice to the said three tenants stating that the premist:s wert:
required for demolition and reconstruction and asking them to vacate the
same. They replit:d that he was only a co-owner as the original landlord
                                                                               E
(Chockalingam) died leaving behind three daughters and a widow also,
therefore, he could not seek eviction for demolition and reconstruction of
the premises.

      On the alkgation that the appellant was not recetVIIlg rt:nt, the        F
respondents issued notices to him to nominate a bank and furnish account
number to which the n:nt may be credited but no reply was given by him.
Thereafter, they filed applications under Section 8(5) of the Tamil Nadu
Buildings (Lease & Rent Control) Act, 1960 (for short 'the Act') seeking
permission of the Rent Controller to deposit the rent in his Court.
                                                                               G
       While so, the appellant filed three eviction petitions under Sections
10(2) and L4(1)(b) of the Act against them seeking their eviction from the
premises on three grounds, namely, (i) wilful default in payment of rent;
(ii) for demolition and reconstruction of the premises and (iii) denial of
the title of the landlord. They resisted those petitions pleading that the     H
     20                   SUPREME COC'RT REPORTS                 [2000] 1 S.C.R.
A quantum of rent claimed by the appellant was not correct; the agreed rent
     for the Shops bearing Door Nos. 19, 20 and 21 was Rs. 75, Rs. 250 and Rs.
     200 respectively and reiterating the plea taken in the reply notice that he
     is a co-owner and cannot seek eviction of the premises for demolition and
     reconstruction. It was also submitted that the transfer of the premises in
     favour of the appellant was not known to them and that they wm: paying
B    the rents regularly to him and that there was no wilful and malafide denial
     of title of the appellant.
                                                                                    !" -
                                                                                    '
         The Rent Controller, on the basis of the evidence led before it by
  the parties, held that all three grounds were proved by the appellant and
C allowed thi; eviction petitions by order dated April 09, 1992; however, the
  petitions filed by thtm for deposit of rent wtre dismissed.

        Appeals were preferred before the Appellate Authority against both
  the orders directing t:viction and dismissing applications for deposit of rent.
  The Appellate Authority found that the quantum of rent pleaded by them
D was correct and that the appellant failed to establish that the rent was
  enhanced to the amounts claimed by him. But it held that as the applica-
  tions filed by them for deposit of rent before the Rent Controller were
  without any valid reasons, they committed wilful default in paymtnt of rent.
  On the point of demal of the title, the order of the Rent Controller was
E confirmed. However, the Appellate Authority was not satisfied that the
  landlord required the premises for demolition and reconstruction and on
  that point the finding of the Rent Controller was reversed. ln that view of
  the matter, the Appellate Authority dismissed all the appeals filed by them
  on September 27, 1992.

F           Dissatisfied with the order of the Appdlate. Authority, the respon-
     dents filed three revision petitions before the High Court of Madras. By a
     common order dated November 17, 1997, the High Court allowed the
     revision petitions and set aside the order of eviction passed against them.
     The present appeals arise from that order.
.G      Mr. R. Venkataramani, learned senior counsel appearing for the
  appellant, challenged the order of the High Court on both the points and
  submitted that as the plea of deposit of rent in the court of the Rent
  Controller by the respondents was rejected, they committed wilful dtfault
  in payment of admitted rent for the months of May, June, July and August,
H 1987 and as such the High Court erred in setting aside the w.:11 considered
   C. ('.HANURA'v!OHAN v. SENOOHAIYAN [SYbU SHAH MOHAMMED Qt:ADRI, J.]    21

findings of the lower authorities.                                              A

      The impugned order non-suited the appt:llant in rngard to eviction
of the respondents under Section 10(2)(i) and (vii) which are extractt:d
hereunder :

        "10. Eviction of tenants. -                                             B

        (2) A Landlord who seeks to evict his tenant shall apply to tht:
        Controlkr for a direction in that behalf. It the Controller, after
        giving the tenant a reasonable opportunity of showing cause against
        the application, is satisfied -                                         C

        (i) that the tenant has not paid or tendered the rent due by him
        in respect of the building, within fiftt:en days after the expiry of
        the time fixed in the agreement of tenancy with his landlord or in
        the absence of any such agreement, by the last day of the month
        next following that for which the rent is payable.                      D

        (ii) to (vi)      •             •               •
        (vii) That the tenant has denied the title of the landlord or claimed
        a right of permanent tenancy and that such denial or claim was
        not bona fide, the Controller shall make an order directing the
                                                                                E
        tenant to put the landlord in possession of the building and if the
        Controller is not so satisfied, he shall make an order rejecting the
        application :

            Provided that in any case falling nnder clause (i) if the Con-      F
        troller is satisfied that the tt:nant's default to pay or tender rent
        was nut wilful, he may, notwithstanding anything contained in
        Section 1 t, give the tenant a reasonable time, not exceeding fifteen
        days, to pay or tender the rent due by him tu thi; landlord up to
        the date of such payment or tender and on such paymi;nt or tender,
        the application shall be rejected.
                                                                                G

        Explanation. - For the purpose of this sub-~ection, default to pay
        or tender rent shall be construed as wilful, if the default by the
        tenant in the payment or tender uf rent continues after the issue
        of two months' notice by the landlord claiming the rent.                H
    22                    SUPREME COURT REPORTS                   [2000] I S.C.R.
A          From a combined reading of clause (i) uf sub-section (2), the proviso
    and the Explanation, it is manifest that it is only when the Rent Controller
    is satisfied that a tenant's default to pay or tender the rent is wilful, that
    he can order eviction of the tenant. The question of wilful default to pay
    or tender rent tu a landlord by a tenant is a mixed question of law and fact.
B   Where the findings recorded by the Appellate Authority are illegal, er-
    roneous or pt:rvcrse, the High Court having regard tu the ambit of its
    revisional jurisdi.ctiun under Section 25 of the Act, will be well within its
    jurisdiction in reversing the findings impugned before it and recording its
    own findings.

C         It is true that the applications under Section 8(5) of the Act filed by
    the respondents for permission to deposit the rent of the premises were
    dismissed by the Rent Controller and the result of the appeals filed against
    those orders before the Appellate Authority was no different, as such; the
    monthly rent deposited in those proceedings cannot be a valid payment or
    tendering of rent to the appellant. But, \'.Ir. S. Sivasuhramaniam, learned
D   senior counsel fur the respondents, brought tu our notice that the appellant
    had withdrawn the rent deposited hy the respondents for the months of
    May, June, July and August, 1987 bdon: the filing of the eviction petition
    on January 30, 1988. Having accepted the rent deposited, the appellant
    cannot legitimatdy contend that the respondents committed default in
E   payment of rent for that period. That bdng the position, on the date the
    appellant filed eviction petitions against the respondents, cause of action
    on the ground of wilful default in payment of rent was not subsisting to
    claim their eviction from the premises. Sci.: : Dakaya (d Dakaiah v. Anjani,
    (1995] 6 sec 500.

F        Further, admittedly in this case no notice as contemplated by the
    Explanation, quot.:d above, WdS issued by the landlord to the respondents.

          That apart, in the order under challenge, the learned Judge of the
    High Court considered the plea of the appellant in the eviction petitions
G   and noted that the ground for seeking eviction of the respondents was that
    the respondents failed tu tender correct rent and that was termed as 'wilful
    default in payment of rent'. We have gone through the pleadings of the
    parties. Mr. Venkataramani could not point out any averment in the
    eviction petitions regarding nun-payment of rent by the respondents for
    any specified month or period; he has, however, contended that if the
H   pleadings are understood in the light of thi; notices exchanged between the
     C.CHANDRAMOHANv.SENGOITAIYAN[SYFDSHAHMOHAMMEDQUADRl,J.j               23

. parties, the plea of wilful default in payment of rent be culled out. We are A
  afraid, we cannot accede to this contention. That is not the way the
  pleadings are construed. We are inclined to agree with the submission of
  Mr. S. Sivasubramaniam, learned counsel for the respondents, that the
  eviction petitions were not filed on the ground of non-payment 9f rent for
  any specified period but were filed on the ground that the rent as claimed
  by the appellant (namely, at the rate of Rs. 400, Rs. 850 and Rs. 700 per B
  month) was not paid as the same is justified by the recital in the eviction
  petitions. In view of the findings of the Appdlate Authority regarding the
  quantum of rent payable by the respondents that the amount as pleaded
  by the respondents, namely, Rs. "75, Rs. 2SO and Rs. 200 is correct and
  regarding the ground on which t.:viction is sought recorded on the basis of
  th<.: pleadings and the statement of the appellant himself that the respon-
                                                                                 c
  dents had faikd to tender the correct rent to the appellant and tht:reby
  committed wilful default the High Court is right in holding that no wilful
  default was committed by the respondents in payment of rent. There is,
  therefore, no illegality in the order under challenge on the question of
  wilful default in payment of rent by the respondents.                        D
      It was next contended by Mr. Venkataramani that the respondents
had dt:nied thi: title of the appellant and on that point the Ri:nt Controller
held against the respondents, which was confirmed by the Appellate
Authority, so the High Court ought not to have interfered with that finding
~~                                                                               E
      A plain reading of clause (vii), noted above, makes it clear that to
invoke this clause twin requirements, namely, - (i) denial of title of the
landlord or claim of a right of permanent tenancy by the tenant and (ii)
such denial or claim is not bona fide, have to be established by a landlord.     p

       To constitute dt:nial of title of the landlord, a tenant should renounce
his character as tenant and set up title or right inconsistent with tht:
relationship of landlord and tenant, either in himself or in a third person.
In the case of derivative title of the landlord in the absence of a notice of
transfer of title in favour of the landlord or attornment of tenancy, a G
tenant's assertion that the landlord is a co-owner dues not amount to denial
of his title, unless the tenant has also renounced his relationship as a tenant.
The principle of equity that a person cannot approbate and reprobate finds
legislative recognition in Section 116 of the Evidence Act and Section
lll(g) of the Transfer of Property Act. It is in the light of this princip!t:, H
   24                    SUPREME COURT REPORTS                  (2000] 1 S.C.R.
A we have to construe clause (vii) of sub-section (2) of Section 10 of Section
    of the Act.

          Adverting to the facts of this case, it has been noted above that the
  appellant derived his title to the premises under rdease deed executed by
  his father, late Chockalingam. The n:spondents became tenants of late
B Chockalingam long prior to his execution of the release deed Exhibit P-4
  in favour of the appellant. It is a common ground that the appellant had
  not intimated the respondents that he bt:came owner of the premises under
  the release deed. There is also nothing on record to show that after
  execution of the release deed, the appellant has got fresh lease deeds
C executed in his favour. However, after the demise of Chockalingam, the
  respondents started paying the rent to the appe!Iant. Indeed, the High
  Court has also referred to the evidence of the Appellant in which he
  admitted that the respondents did not deny that he was the landlord when
  depositing the rent in the Court and that they were paying the rent to him.
D When a notice was issued by the appellant to the n:spond..:nts seeking
  eviction of the premises for its demolition and reconstruction, the respon-
  dents replied that he was not the absolute owner of the property since late
  Chockalingam had also left behind him three daughters and a widow. In
  their counters, the respondents reiterated the said plea and added that
  they were unaware of the execution of release deed in favour of the
E appellant by late Chockalingam and that they had been paying monthly rent
  to him and that the denial of absolute title of the property was not wilful
  and malafide, as alleged in the petitions. Now, in this background, when
  we consider the conduct of the respondents that from the dak of the said
   reply notice (Exhibit P-18) the respondents neither denied tht relationship
F of landlord and tenant nor did they stop paying rent to the appellant nor
   did they set up any claim adverse to title or interest of the appellant in
   themselves or a third party and that after coming to know of the said
  release deed in favour of the appellant they did not persist in their plea
   that he was a co-owner, it cannot be said that the respondents denied the
   title of the appellant, much kss can it be said that such a denial was not
G bonafide.

         Fur the above reasons, we cannot but hold that the High Court is
  right in coming to the conclusion that but for the release deed th:: appellant
  would be a co-owner and so the respondents were justified in calling the
H appellant as a co-owner for lack of knowledge of the release deed and
   r C'HANDRAMOHAN "SENGOTiAIYAN (SYPD SHAH MOHA.VIMbU UCADRI. J.:       25

that the appellant failed to make out a case of denial of his titk to the      A
premises by the respondents.

       From the abow discussion, it follows that the appeals an: devoid of
any merit; they are accordingly dismissc:d but, in the: circumstances of the
cast:, without costs.
                                                                               B
                                                        Appeals dismissed.