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7 (2014) 6 SCC 1
5 (2016) 3 SCC 762
Pg 29 of 37
wp.17.2014 (Colabawalla).doc
"26. Providing a smooth and efficient recovery procedure to enable
the banks to recover the non-performing assets is a laudable object
indeed, which needs to be ensured for the development of the
economy of the country. What has complicated the matters, however,
is the clash of this laudable object with another laudable object,
namely, to secure the rights of the tenants under the various Rent
Control Acts. The history of these Rent Control Acts can be traced to
as far back as the Second World War. At that time, due to the
massive inflation and shortage of commodities, not only had the cost
of living risen exponentially, the tenants were also often left to the
mercy of the landlords as far as evictions or prices of rent were
concerned. The Rent Control Acts have been enacted by the different
State Legislatures to secure the rights of the weaker sections of the
society viz. the tenants. Krishna Iyer, J. aptly observed in Santosh
Mehta v. Om Prakash [Santosh Mehta v. Om Prakash, (1980) 3
SCC 610] : (SCC p. 611, para 2)
"2. Rent control laws are basically designed to protect tenants because
scarcity of accommodation is a nightmare for those who own none and, if
evicted, will be helpless."