High Court notice on plea seeking to offer 3-month relief for tenants

CHENNAI: Citing instances where Maharashtra and Karnataka governments have deferred rent collection from tenants for three months in the wake of COVID-19 crisis, the Madras High Court was moved seeking to direct the State government to restrain house owners and landlords from demanding rent during the lockdown period.

When the plea moved by LK Charles Alexander,

an advocate, came up for hearing before them on Thursday, a division bench comprising Justice R Subbiah and Justice Krishnan Ramasamy directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its counter within two weeks. The petitioner submitted that the Centre government and State passed orders on March 29 and March 30 respectively, directing the landlords to abstain from collecting one month’s rent. But none of the landlords have stopped collecting rent as instructed by the Government Order. Moreover, the State has also not bothered to implement its order and has refused to entertain any complaint in this regard, the plea said.

Further, pointing out that the Delhi government was paying the rent of tenants, the plea claimed that the Tamil Nadu government has failed to undertake such a welfare measure despite being aware that most private sector employees have not been paid salary for the past three months.

The plea also noted that the stoppage of collection of one-month rent was insufficient and sought the court to extend it to three months as per the Disaster Management Act, 2005, that is in force owing to the pandemic.