Civil Appeal No 1085 of 1970
Appeal by Special Leave from the Judgment and Order dated 17
3 1969 of the Delhi High Court in SAD No 269
P R Mridul and O P Sharma for the Appellant
section K Bisaria for the Respondent
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by FAZAL ALIJ
This appeal by special leave is directed against a judgment of the Delhi Court and arises out of an application filed by Respondent No 1 who claimed to be the tenant of the appellant recalling the warrant of possession issued by the Controller in pursuance of a decree dated 31 7 1961 passed against the 1st respondent
The case had a rather chequered career having passed through several phases
To begin with the landlord appellant executed a lease in respect of the disputed premises in favour of Respondent No 2 for three years as far back as 141942
In 1948 a suit was brought by the appellant for eviction of the tenant for non payment of rent on the ground of conversion of the user of the premises
The suit for possession was however dismissed but a decree dated 31
1948 for arrears of rent was passed and it was held that Laxmi Bank was the real tenant
Subsequently the Bombay High Court ordered the 446 Bank to be wound up and in the winding up proceedings the said High Court appointed an Official Liquidator who on 16
2 1961 sold the tenancy rights to Respondent No 1 section N Jain
This sale was confirmed by the High Court on the same date and as a result there of respondent No 1 took possession of the premises on 2421961
On 5 4
1961 the land lord appellant filed an application under the Delhi Rent Control Act for eviction of Laxmi Bank
On 31 7 1961 a decree for eviction was passed in favour of the landlord appellant
On 23 1 1963
Respondent No 1 filed a suit for a declaration that he was a tenant of the landlord appellant
This suit was dismissed for non prosecution on 551964 and an application to set aside the ex parte decree was also dismissed and the appeal against that order also failed
Thereafter Respondent No 1 filed an application under section 25 of Delhi Rent Control Act hereinafter referred to as the Act for recalling the warrant of possession issued by the Court in pursuance of the decree dated 3171961 in favour of the landlord
The present appeal arises out of these proceedings
The Rent Controller allowed the application and recalled the warrant of possession by its Order dated 20
12 1966
The matter was then taken up by the landlord in appeal to the Rent Control Tribunal which by its Order dated 25
1968 reversed the order of the Rent Controller and dismissed the tenant s application
A second appeal against the order of Tribunal was then filed by the tenant to the High Court which reversed the order of the Rent Control Tribunal and restored the order of the Rent Controller hence this appeal by special leave
Mr Mridul appearing for the appellant challenged before us the findings of the High Court on point nos
1  3 which are formulated at page 91 of the judgment of the Delhi High Court
These points may be extracted thus 1 The application made by the appellant before the High Court under section 25 was not barred by reason of the dismissal of the appellants suit for default of appearance under Order IX Rule 9 CPC 3 The transfer to the appellant by the Official Liquidator of the tenancy rights being voluntary did not come within the mischief of section 141b of the Act
In the first place it was argued that so far as point No 1 is concerned the High Court was wrong in holding that the application of Respondent No 1 was not barred by the reason of the dismissal of the appellant s suit for setting aside the ex parte decree by the principle of Res Judicata or Order IX Rule 9 CPC
It was contended that 447 even if the previous suit filed by respondent No 1 for declaration of his status as a tenant was dismissed for default but as the application for setting aside the decree also failed there was an adjudication against the then plaintiff respondent No 1 and therefore the present suit was clearly barred by the principles of Res Judicata or Order IX Rule 9
At any rate there can be no escape from the position that the application of respondent No 1 would be clearly barred by the principle contained in Order IX Rule 9 CPC
In case of Suraj Ratan Thirani  Ors
vs The Azamabad Tea Co  Ors1 this Court held thus We are not however impressed by the argument that the ban imposed by O IX r 9 creates merely a personal bar or estoppel against the particular plaintiff suing on the same cause of action and leaves the matter at large for those claiming under him
Beyond the absence in O IX r 9 of the words referring to those claiming under the plaintiff there is nothing to warrant this argument
It has neither principle nor logic to commend it 
The rule would obviously have no value and the bar imposed by it would be rendered meaningless if the plaintiff whose suit was dismissed for de fault had only to transfer the property to another and the latter was able to agitate rights which his vendor was precluded by law from putting forward
 In the instant case it was appellant who brought the previous suit which resulted in a decree for eviction of the tenant on 31 7 1961 a date when the 1st respondent had already taken possession of the premises by virtue of transfer made by the Official Liquidator
Thus the identity of the subject matter being substantially the same this case clearly falls within the ambit of the ratio in the case supra
On this ground alone therefore the appellant is entitled to succeed because the High Court with due respect does not appear to have properly construed the scope of Order IX Rule 9 CPC
There is however nothing to show that respondent No1 was tenant within the meaning of Rent Control Act so as to maintain an application under section 25 of the Act when in fact he was an unlawful sub lessee
As regards point No 3 the High Court relying on a decision of Calcutta High Court in Krishna Das Nandy vs Bidhan Chandra Roy2 has found that as the transfer in favour of respondent No 1 by the Official Liquidator was confirmed by the Court the status of the tenant by respondent No 1 was acquired by operation of law and therefore the transfer 448 was an involuntary transfer and the provisions of Rent Control Act would not be attracted
After careful perusal of Calcutta case in the first place it appears that the section concerned has not been extracted and we are not in a position to know what was the actual language of the section of the Bengal Act
Secondly in our opinion the official liquidator had merely stepped into the shoes of Laxmi Bank which was the original tenant and even if the official liquidator had transferred the tenancy interest to respondent No 1 under the orders of the Court it was on behalf of the original tenant
It was undoubtedly a voluntary sale which clearly fell within the mischief of s141b of the Delhi Rent Control Act
Assuming that the sale by the official Liquidator was an involuntary sale then it undoubtedly became an assignment as provided for by section 14b of Delhi Rent Control Act
section 14b runs thus 14b that the tenant has on or after the 9th day of June 1952 sublet assigned or otherwise parted with the possession of the whole or any part of the premises with out obtaining the consent in writing of the landlord
 The language of section 14b is wide enough not only to include any sub lease but even an assignment or any other mode by which possession of the tenanted premises is parted
In view of the wide amplitude of s14b we are clearly of the opinion that it does not exclude even an involuntary sale
Fore these reasons therefore we are unable to agree with the view taken by the High Court
The appeal is accordingly allowed the judgment and decree of the High Court are set aside and the plaintiff s application under section 25 of the Delhi Rent Control Act is dismissed
Mr Bisaria learned counsel appearing for the respondent submitted that as the tenant has been in the premises for a period of 19 years and is conducting business therein he may be permitted sufficient time to make alternative arrangements
Mr Mridul appearing for the appellant fairly conceded that he would have no objection if one year s time is allowed to the respondent provided he gives an undertaking for handing over peaceful and vacant possession at the expiry of the time
We therefore allow time to the respondent to vacate the premises on or before 15th April 1981 on the condition that he files an undertaking within two weeks to the effect 1 that he shall hand over vacant and peaceful possession to the landlord on or before 15th April 1981 2 that he shall not induct any per son on the premises 3 that he shall go on paying the compensation for wrongful use of premises equivalent to the rent
449 The undertaking must be filed supported by an affidavit within two weeks from today failing which the order granting time shall stand revoked
There will be no order as to costs
SR Appeal allowed


Summary:
The appellant landlord executed a lease in respect of the disputed premises in favour of respondent 2 for three years as far back as 1 4 1942
In 1948 a suit was brought by the appellant for eviction of the tenant for non payment of rent on the ground of conversion of the user of the premises
The suit for possession was however dismissed but a decree dated 31 11 1948 for arrears of rent was passed and it was held that Laxmi Bank was the real tenant
Subsequently the Bombay High Court ordered the Bank to be wound up and in the winding up proceedings the High Court appointed an Official Liquidator who on 16 2 1961 sold the tenancy rights to respondent No 1
The sale was confirmed by the High Court on the same date and as a result thereof respondent No 1 took possession the premises on 24 2 1961
On 5 1 1961 the landlord appellant filed an application under the Delhi Rent Control Act for eviction of Laxmi Bank
On 31 7 1961 a decree for eviction was passed in favour of the appellant
On 22 1 1963 respondent No 1 filed a suit for declaration that he was a tenant of the landlord appellant
The suit was dismissed for non prosecution on 5 5 1964 and an application to set aside the ex parte order was also dismissed and the appeal against that order also failed
Thereafter respondent No 1 filed an application under Section 25 of the Delhi Rent Control Act for recalling the warrant of possession issued by the Court in pursuance of the decree dated 31 7 1961 in favour of the appellant
The Rent Controller allowed it on 20 12 1966
An appeal to the Rent Controller Tribunal was ordered by order dated 25 11 1968 in favour of the appellant
A second appeal filed by respondent No 1 to the High Court was allowed in his favour and the Rent Controller s order allowing recalling of the warrant of possession was restored
Hence the appeal by special leave by the landlord
Allowing the appeal the Court  HELD 1
The application of respondent No 1 under Section 25 of the Delhi Rent Control Act is clearly barred by the principle contained in order IX Rule 9 Civil Procedure Code
It was the appellant who brought the previous suit which resulted in a decree for eviction of the tenant on 31 7 1961 a date when the Ist respondent had already taken possession of the premises by virtue of transfer made by the Official Liquidator
There is nothing to show that respondent No 1 was a tenant within the meaning of Delhi Rent Control 445 Act so as to maintain an application under section 25 of the Act when in fact he was an unlawful sub lessee
447A E F G Suraj Ratan Thirani and Ors
vs Azamabad Tea Co and Ors   applied
The language of section 14b of the Delhi Rent Control Act is wide enough not only to include any sub lease but even an assignment or any other mode by which possession of the tenanted premises is parted
In view of the wide amplitude of section 14 b it does not exclude even in involuntary sale
448D E In the instant case the official Liquidator had merely stepped into the shoes of Laxmi Bank which was the original tenant and even if the official liquidator had transferred the tenancy interest to respondent No 1 under the order of the Court it was on behalf of the original tenant
It was undoubtedly a voluntary sale which clearly fell within the mischief of section 14 1 b of the Delhi Rent Control Act
Assuming that the sale by the Official Liquidator was an involuntary sale then it undoubtedly became an assignment as provided for by section 14 b of Delhi Rent Control Act
448A C Krishna Das Nandy vs Bidhan Chandra Roy AIR 1959 Cal
181 Overruled