LEASES OF IMMOVABLE PROPERTY

• S.105. Lease defined: A lease of immovable property is

a transfer of a right to enjoy such property,
• made for a certain time, express or implied, or in
perpetuity,
• in consideration of a price paid or promised,
• or of money, a share of crops, service or any other
thing of value,
• to be rendered periodically or on specified occasions to
the transferor by the transferee,
• who accepts the transfer on such terms.
• Lessor, lessee, premium and rent defined:-
the transferor is called the lessor,
the transferee is called the lessee,
the price is called the premium,
and the money, share, service or other thing to
be so rendered is called the rent.
• Essential elements:
(1) The parties to lease-lessor and lessee.
(2) The subject-matter to lease-immovable
property.
(3) There must be transfer of a right.
(4) Duration of lease.
(5) Consideration of lease-premium.
(6) Acceptance of transfer by the lessee.
(7) lease must be made in the mode under S.107
• Parties to Lease: ‘Every tenancy is based upon an
agreement between two persons and contains
covenants expressed or implied by one person with the
other’.
• A man cannot agree with himself for any of the lease
covenant made by himself. A person cannot grant a
tenancy to himself.
• Nathu lal v. Union of India, AIR 2007 NOC
1863….Railways allotted land and permitted the
allottee to construct a stall there, he fulfilled all the
conditions as required by the Railways, rent was also
fixed, the court said that all this constituted an implied
agreement between the parties even if there was no
lease deed in writing.
• Every person who is competent to contract can
grant a lease. Only an absolute owner of property
can grant a lease for any period he likes. A person
holding a property for life cannot grant a lease
beyond his life unless he is especially empowered
under the terms of the deed of settlement.
• A lessee may himself grant a lease further and
such a lease further and such a lease commonly
known as sub-lease or under-lease.
• A tenant is protected under statutory provisions
with regard to occupation of premises having no
right to sublet or transfer the premises unless he
is permitted to do so by the actual owner.
 S.52 “Licence” defined under the
Indian Easement Act,1882
Where one person grants to another,
or to a definite number of persons,
a right to do, or continue to do,
in or upon the immovable property of the grantor,
something which would, in the absence of such
right, be unlawful,
such right does not amount to an easement or an
interest in the property,
the right is called a license.
Distinction between Lease and Licence
1. In a lease, there is a transfer of an interest in the
immovable property whereas in licence, there is
no transfer.
2. If during the lease-period, any accretion is made
to the property leased, such accretion is
deemed to be comprised in the lease. Whereas
a licensee acquires no right in the property.
3. A lease is transferable and heritable whereas
licence is neither transferable nor heritable
because it is a personal privilege.
 4. In lease, the lessee gets a proprietary right in
respect of the land, this right is called demise.
Licensee gets only a personal right of using the
land of another person. The right of the licensee
is in the nature of a permission to do or
continue to do certain things on the licensor’s
land.
• 5. Lease is entitled to maintain a suit in his
own name against trespassers and strangers.
The licensee is not entitled to maintain such a
suit.
• 6. Lease cannot be revoked before the expiry of
the term or without breach of any express
condition by the lessee. Whereas, subject to
certain exceptions, a licnce is generally revocable.
• 7. A lessee is entitled to a notice to quit before
eviction, however a licensee is not entitled to
such a notice.
• 8. Death of either party does not effect a lease
whereas in such circumstances a licence is
terminated.
 Associated Hotels of India Ltd. v.
R.N.Kapoor
(1960)1SCR 368 : AIR 1959 SC 1262
• Brief Facts: The appellants are the proprietors
of Hotel Imperial, New Delhi. The respondent,
since deceased, was in occupation of two
rooms described as ladies and gentlemen’s
cloak rooms, and carried on his business as a
hair-dresser.
• He secured possession of the said rooms
under a deed dated May 1, 1949, executed by
him and the appellants.
• He got into possession of the said rooms,
agreeing to pay a sum of Rs.9600 a year i.e. Rs.
800 per month, but later on, by mutual consent,
the annual payment was reduced to Rs.8400 i.e.
Rs.700 per month.
• On September 26, 1950, the respondent made an
application to the Rent Controller, Delhi, alleging
that the rent demanded was excessive and
therefore a fair rent might be fixed under the
Delhi and Ajmer-Merwara Rent Control Act, 1947.
• The appellants appeared before the Rent
Controller and contended that the Act had no
application to the premises in question as
they were premises in a hotel and exempted
under Section 2 of the Act from its operation.
• And also on the other ground that under the
aforesaid document the respondent was not a
tenant but only a licensee.
• Issues: (1) Whether the executed document
has created a relationship of lessor and lessee
or licensor and licensee.
• (2) Whether the said two rooms in a hotel
within the meaning of Section 2 of the Act,
therefore, they were exempted from the
operation of the Act.
• Observations: The following are the terms and
conditions of the deed:
1. In pursuance of the said agreement, the licensor
hereby grants to the licensee, leave and License to
use and occupy the said premises to carry on their
business of Hair Dressers from 1st May, 1949 to 30th
April, 1950.
2. That the charges of such use and occupation shall be
Rs.9600 a year payable in four quarterly installments
whether the Licensee occupy the premises and carry
on the business or not.
3. That in the first instance the Licensor shall allow to
the Licensee leave and license to use and occupy the
said premises for a period of one year only.
• 4. That the licensee shall have the opportunity of
further extension of the period of license after the
expiry of one year at the option of the licensor on the
same terms and conditions but in any case the licensee
shall intimate their desire for an extension at least
three months prior to the expiry of one year from the
date of the execution of this DEED.
• 5. The licensee shall use the premises as at present
fitted and keep the same in good condition. The
licensor shall not apply any fitting or fixture more than
what exists in the premises for the present. The
licensee will have their power and light meters and will
pay for electric charges.
• 6. That the licensee shall not make any alteration
in the premises without the prior consent in
writing from the licensor.
• 7. That should the licensee fail to pay the agreed
fee to the licensor from the date and in the
manner as agreed, the licensor shall be at liberty
to terminate this DEED without any notice and
without any payment of any compensation and
shall be entitled to charge at 12 per cent per
annum on the amount remaining unpaid
• 8. That in case the licensee for reasons beyond
their control are forced to close their business in
Delhi, the licensor agrees that during the
remaining period the license shall be transferred
to any person with the consent and approval of
the licensor subject to charges so obtained not
exceedingly the monthly charge of Rs.800.
• The document no doubt uses phraseology
appropriate to license. But it is the substance of
the agreement that matters and not the form.
Otherwise clever drafting can camouflage the real
intention of the parties.
• What is the substance of this document needs to be
examined instead of going by the bare words of the
document to understand the intention of the parties.
• In Errington v. Errington [(1952)1 All ER 149] wherein
Lord Denning stated “The result of all these cases is
that, although a person who is let into exclusive
possession is, prima facie, to be considered to be
tenant, nevertheless he will not be held to be so if the
circumstances negative any intention to create a
tenancy”.
• In Cobb v. Lane [(1952)1 All ER 1199] Somervell, L.J.
stated that “…the solution that would seem to have
found is, as one would expect, that it must depend on
the intention of the parties”.
• By considering the above the following may be
formed: (1) To ascertain whether a document
creates a license or lease, the substance of the
document must be preferred to the form;
• (2) the real test is the intention of the parties
• (3) if the document creates interest an interest
in the property, it is a lease; but, if it only
permits another to make use of the property,
of which the legal possession continues with
the owner, it is a license.
• Now we will examine the Section 2(b) of the
Rent Control Act so far it is relevant for our
purpose.
• “2. In this Act, unless there is anything
repugnant in the subject or context,-
• (b) ‘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 but
does not include a room in a dharmashala,
hotel or lodging house”.
• The question before us is- what is the meaning of
the expression “a room in a hotel”? Does it
merely mean a room which in a physical sense is
within a building or part of a building used as a
hotel; or does it mean something more, that is,
the room itself is not only within a hotel in a
physical sense but is let out to serve what are
known as “hotel purposes”?
• If a strictly literal construction is adopted, will the
room still be a room in a hotel, lodging house or
dharmashala? That is the question which we
have to answer.
• It is sufficient to state that in its ordinary
connotation the word “hotel” means a house for
entertaining strangers or travellers: a place where
lodging is furnished to transient to guests as well
as one where both lodging and food or other
amenities are furnished.
• It was never questioned that the Imperial hotel,
New Delhi, is a hotel within the meaning of that
word as it is commonly understood.
• Now both the rooms in question are part of the
hotel or not?
• In a physical sense they were undoubtedly rooms
in that hotel
• Its user must be connected with the general
purpose of the hotel of which it is a part.
• In the case under our consideration the spaces
were let out for carrying on the business of a hair
dresser.
• Such a business is consider to be one of the
amenities which a modern hotel provides.
• The circumstance that people not resident in the
hotel might also be served by the hair dresser
does not alter the position
• Conclusion: Having given the matter our best
consideration we have not been able to find any
reason why the words used in the definition
should not have their plain meaning given to
them.
• We, therefore come to the conclusion that a
room in an hotel within the definition is any room
in a building in the whole of which the business
of an hotel is run.
• So the definition would include the spaces in the
cloak rooms of the Imperial Hotel with which we
are concerned.
• These spaces are, in our view, rooms in a hotel
and excluded from the operation of the Act. The
Rent Controller had no power to fix any standard
rent in respect of them.
• The appellant also contended that Kapoor was
not a tenant of the spaces but only a licensee and
so again the Act did not apply.
• Accordingly the appeal allowed and dismiss the
application for fixing standard rent. This is the
majority judgment. Dissent opinion expressed by
the Subba Rao, J was not considered as a
substantive one in the present case.
 Quality Cut Pieces v. M.Laxmi and Co.
AIR 1986 Bom 359
• Brief Facts: Summer of 1942. The city of Bombay was
slowly recovering from the erosion of war economy.
Serpentine queues for essential commodities were seen
everywhere.
• A group of 7 businessmen drawn from various fields like
pharmaceuticals, textiles, tea, banking and insurance got
together and surveyed the Indian economic scene.
• This group regretted the absence of a similar large scale
departmental store in India and decided to remedy the
defect and build up a coordinated contact between the
producer and the consumer.
• With this object in view, the group incorporated a company
“Departmental Services Stores Limited” (“DSS”).
• The company had money but no premises wherein to
start the contemplated departmental stores. The
company was all dressed up but nowhere to go.
• On 8th Sept, 1944 the company acquired the house of
Messrs. Dinshaw and Company, Colaba, Causeway,
Bombay, from one Behram Rustom Irani, after paying
Rs.47,000/- out of which Rs.4000/- were towards the
goodwill and the remainder towards the price of
goods, electrical installations.
• The prospectus issued by the company inviting
subscription from the public, after taking note of the
possible increase in international trade on account of
the opening of free sea routes, announced that the DSS
will inaugurate a new era of “Shop as you please”
under one roof for all needs “from a pin to a piano”.
• The projection of the Directors was that the
company from the Departments will be “the
commission ranging from 2.12% to 15% or more”
according to the nature of the commodities sold,
and that many leading merchants in various lines
had already expressed their willingness to avail
themselves of this facility.
• The promoters announced that the DSS enjoyed
the confidence of leading merchants “who had
agreed to leave in their control their goods worth
thousands of rupees for display and sale on retail
and wholesale basis”.
• Issues: (1) Whether these merchants who
were doing business in the premises of the
DSS company are the lessees or the licensees?
• (2) Whether the agreement of the document
indicates as a lease agreement or the license
agreement?
• Observations: in Sohanlal Naraindas v. Laxmidas
Raghunath [1971 Mah LJ 604, 607]:
• “Intention of the parties to an instrument must be
gathered from the terms of the agreement examined in
the light of the surrounding circumstances. The
description given by the parties may be evidence of the
intention but is not decisive. Mere use of the words
appropriate to the creation of a lease will not preclude
the agreement operating as a license. A recital that the
agreement does not create a tenancy is also not
decisive. If it is in fact intended to create an interest in
the property it is a lease, if it does not, it is a license. In
determining whether the agreement creates a lease or
a license the test of exclusive possession, though not
decisive, is of significance.
• During the war and in the post-war period, the
freedom of parties to enter into a lease and
licensee’s rights to sublet the premises were
seriously curtailed by the various Rent Control
Acts. S.15 of Bombay Rents, Hotel and Lodging
House Rates Control Act, 1947(“Rent Act”) puts
an embargo on the tenant to sublet, assign or
transfer his interest in the premises let out to
him.
• Hence, the first question that arises for
determination is whether the parties could
“contract out” of the provisions of the regulatory
legislation pertaining to urban tenancies?
• In Sheel-Max and B.P. Ltd. v. Manchester Garages
Ltd. [(1971) 1 All ER 841] the plaintiffs were the
owners of a petrol filling station. They had an
agreement with the defendants to do the
business of the plaintiff’s for promotion and sale
of the products.
• The defendants relied heavily on the fact that
they were in exclusive possession of the petrol
filling station.
• The Court held that exclusive possession for the
long time is to decide tenancy is a tenancy is a old
law. Exclusive possession is no longer decisive.
We have
• The stall-holders in the present batch appeals
have branded the agreements with DSS etc. As
‘Sham and bogus’. Such an argument was
advanced in Somma v. Hazelhurst [(1978) 2 All ER
1011] where it was urged that in a “Rent Act
Situation” any permission to occupy the premises
exclusively must be a tenancy and not a license,
unless it comes into the category of hotels, family
arrangements or service occupancy of a similar
undefined special category.
• We can see no reason why an ordinary landlord
not in any of these special categories should not
be able to grant a license to occupy an ordinary
house. If that is what both he and the licensee
intend and if they can frame any written
agreement in such a way to demonstrate that it is
not really an agreement for a lease masquerading
as a license, we can see no reason in law or
justice why they should be prevented from
achieving that object. Nor can we see why their
common intentions should be categorized as
bogus or unreal or as sham merely on the
grounds that the court disapproves of the
bargain.
• The intention of the parties can be gathered from the
surrounding circumstances, and so far as the present
case is concerned, it is not one of a stray occupation by
a stranger in a room in a residential house which may
give rise to questions as to whether he was only a
lodger or a boarder or a paying guest or a tenant.
• This is a case of no less than 47 people taking stalls and
carrying on business for a period of over 22 years.
Resultantly the behavioral pattern appearing on a
broad canvas stretching over more than two decades
has to be observed. It would make for a better
appreciation if the evidence is grouped under various
heads.
• All the licensed agreements with the stall-holders came
to an end on 31-12-1965 and the surprising feature of
this case in that right from 1946 till this date, not a
single assertion was made by the stall-holders that
they are tenants.
• On 1-1-1966, notices of revocation were issued by
Laxmi whereafter for the first time on 10-1-1966, the
stall holders claimed to be tenants and thus filed the
first salvo in this battle.
• Within a month, they filed suits on 9-2-1966 for
obtaining a declaration that they are the tenants.
• This long acquiescence of the stall holders lends
credence to the case of the plaintiffs that the stall-
holders were merely licensees.
• Conclusion: By analyzing the surrounding circumstances
and facts of the case we are in the opinion that except of
stall No.6 of Nathani and Stall No.7 of Ramjeevandas were
merely licensees for reward.
• Though exclusive possession alone and by itself is not the
acid test of determination whether the relationship
between the parties is that of tenancy or license.
• Both these stalls are facing the road and the stall-holders
have not to enter the collapsible gate at all to reach and
open their stalls. Surely, these stalls facing the road could
not be kept open as was the practice with the stalls inside
the main gate.
• With the fact that there are other persons who are
recognized to be the tenants in the building of the stores is
a pointer to the fact they were not mere licensees but of
the tenants.
 B.V.D’souza v. Antonio Fausto
Fernandes
AIR 1989 SC 1816 : (1989) 3 SCC 574
• The appellant was in the occupation of the building of
the respondent. The appellant’s defense was that he is
a tenant protected by the provisions of the Goa,
Daman and Diu Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction)
Control Act, 1968, and in view of Section 56 thereof
the suit in the civil court is not maintainable.
• The only point involved in this appeal is whether the
document (Ex.20) executed by the parties at the time
the appellant was inducted in the disputed premises is
an agreement of leave and license or a deed of lease.
• Issues: Whether the deed describes the parties as
lesser and lessee or Licensor and licensee.
• Observations: The document Ex.20 has been
described as an agreement of leave and license
and the parties as the licensor and the licensee.
• But it is significant to note that in the very first
sentence of the document the respondent is
described as “Landlord hereinafter called the
Licensor”.
• The disputed issue can be resolved through the
substance of the document not the form as was
held in the case of Associated Hotels. The real
test is the intention of the parties- whether they
intended to create a lease or license.
• If an interest in the property is created by the
deed it is a lease but if the document only
permits another person to make use of the
property “of which the legal possession continues
with the owner”, it is a license.
• The document has been placed before the Bench by
learned counsel for the appellant. It has been
described as an agreement of leave and license and the
parties as the “licensor” and the “licensee”.
• Its provisions unmistakably indicated that the appellant
was being let in as a tenant on the monthly rental of
Rs.350 (besides water and electricity charges) to be
paid regularly on or before the 5th day of each
consecutive month.
• It was agreed that the appellant “shall not sub-let,
under-let or part possession of the premises to any
stranger nor shall he keep the premises vacant for
more than 3 months without the consent of the
licensor”, that is, the respondent.
• The question of executing a sub-lease or sub-
letting can arise only by a tenant. If a licensee
inducts any person in the property as his tenant,
it cannot be described as sub-letting.
• In one of the clause it is stated that on the expiry
of the period, the deed “shall be renewable
thereafter at the will of the licensee”, and in the
event of the licensee not desiring to renew, “shall
give one month’s notice in writing”.
• These terms are not consistent with the
respondent’s case of license, and indicate that an
interest in the property was created in favor of
the appellant in pursuance of which he was put in
possession with a right of renewal.
• If the approach adopted by the courts below in
interpreting the document is accepted, it shall defeat
the object of the Rent Acts, by permitting to
camouflage the real nature of the transaction by
resorting to skilful drafting.
• It is well settled that the main purpose of enacting the
Rent statutes is to protect the tenant from the
exploitation of the landlord, who being in dominating
position is capable of dictating him terms at the
inception of the tenancy;
• And the Rent Acts must receive that interpretation
which may advance the object and suppress the
mischief.
• By adopting a different approach the Rent laws are
likely to be defeated altogether.
• The surrounding circumstances are also consistent with
the deed being one of lease. The notice to vacate the
premises was served on the appellant after several
years of expiry of the term of the agreement.
• It is not suggested on behalf of the respondent that
there is any relationship between the parties or that
they were friends which induced him to allow the
appellant to occupy the building.
• Realization of rent which has been described in the
document as “compensation reserved for use and
occupation” was the sole consideration of the
transaction.
• In this background the description of the parties as
lessor and lessee or the rent as compensation does not
carry much weight.
• Conclusions: For the reasons mentioned above
we hold that the document was in reality a
document of lease and the appellant has been
enjoying the exclusive possession thereof in the
capacity of month to month tenant.
• As a result the tenant was protected under the
provisions of the Goa, Daman and Diu Buildings
(Lease, Rents and Eviction) Control Act.
• Accordingly the appeal allowed.
 Samir Kumar Chatterjee v. Hirendra
Nath Ghosh
AIR 1992 Cal 129
• Brief Facts: The plaintff/respondent was a monthly
tenant in respect of the entire premises No.19, Gopal
Chandra Chatterjee Road at a monthly rental of Rs.
70/- under Taraknath De and his brothers.
• On being approached by the defendant to live in one
room of the suit premises for a period of four months
from Sep 1979. On compassionate grounds as a
licensee, without any license fee or consideration
whatsoever, and on his refusal to vacate it after the
expiry of said period of 4 months, the respondent
revoked the license and brought this suit.
• The defendant contested the suit by filing a
written statement.
• His defense was that he was a tenant or for that
matter, a sub-tenant under the plaintiff who was
a tenant at a monthly rental of Rs.20/- payable
according to English calendar month and not a
licensee at all.
• It was alleged that the father of the defendant
was also a tenant in the suit premises and the
plaintiff accepted the defendant as a tenant in
respect of the said room only after taking a sum
of Rs.2,000/- as advance subject to adjustment
against the rent payable by the
defendant/appellant.
• Judgment of the lower appellate court has been
assailed before this court on several grounds.
Firstly, it has been urged that both the Courts
below misplaced the onus of initially proving that
the burden lies on the plaintiff to show prima
facie that the defendant was a licensee.
• Secondly, it has been urged that both the courts
below mis-directed themselves by not taking into
account very important and material evidence
bearing on the status of defendant
• Issues: Whether the agreement between the parties
can be concluded as lease or license?
• Observations: On a perusal of the judgments of both
the Courts below, misplaced the onus on the
defendant/appellant to prove his case that he was a
tenant and not a licensee.
• Admittedly, there is no document of lease or
agreement of tenancy between the parties. There is no
paper showing payment of rent by the
defendant/appellant to the plaintiff in respect of the
suit room. Nor there is any paper whatsoever showing
payment of a sum of Rs.2,000/- by the defendant
either as advance or as security money.
• But at the same time, there is also no good
evidence adduced on the part of the plaintiff
showing that the defendant was inducted as a
licensee. Admittedly nobody was present at the
time of such induction.
• We find from the evidence admitted evidence of
the plaintiff that he did not know the father of
the defendant.
• There is no evidence that parties are related to
each other or that they had any previous
acquaintance. `
• Plaintiff’s case in this regard is short and simple and
that he allowed the defendant to stay in though for a
specified period as the defendant was in need of such
accommodation.
• It seems unlikely when the parties are not related to
each other or there is not even any acquaintance with
each other, one party would go to the extent of
accommodating the other by way of granting
gratuitous license to have exclusive possession of the
particular premises without any consideration
whatsoever.
• This is against normal human conduct or experience,
unless of course the plaintiff can show it otherwise.
• Conclusion: In view of what has been discussed
above, it is clear from the volume of oral and
documentary evidence on record that the
defendant was there in the suit premises by the
plaintiff.
• When this fact is established convincingly, it fits in
with the case of the defendant that he was there
obviously in the capacity not attributed to him by
the plaintiff.
• I find that the plaintiff has failed singularly to
prove his case of induction of defendant as
license.
• The result is the appeal is allowed.
 Delta International Ltd. V. Shyam
Sunder Ganeriwalla
AIR 1999 SC 2607 : (1999) 4 SCC 545
• Brief Facts: The undisputed facts of the matter
are that the original owner of the premises was
Abhiram Mullick (since deceased) who created
tenancy of the premises, namely, No. 4-D, Council
House Street, Calcutta in favor of Mallika
Investment Company Private Ltd. Dewar’s Garage
India private Ltd was inducted into the premises
as the monthly tenant under Mallika Investment
Company pvt Ltd. (in short “Dewar”)
• “Dewar was maintaining and running a petrol
service station for sale of motor spares and
components at the tenanted premises. Dewar
had erected and built certain structures on the
said premises.
• Dewar was subsequently amalgamated into
Delta International Ltd (appellant/plaintiff).
• By an agreement dated 18-7-1970, Dewar
executed leave and license agreement in favor
of ESSO standard Eastern Inc. (in short ESSO)
• ESSO in turn permitted Shyam Sunder Ganeriwalla,
Respondent 1, to run a petrol service station. Further,
the business undertakings and the estates of ESSO also
had been taken over by an Act of parliament and have
been transferred and assigned by the central Govt in
favor of M/s HPCL.
• In 1985 Delta filed Civil Suit in the High Court of
Calcutta for a perpetual injunction restraining the
defendants and/or their servants, agents and assigns
from using any of the fixtures, fittings and accessories
lying at the suit premises; for damages, for wrongful
use and occupation of the premises at the rate of Rs.
20,000 p.m. from 1-5-1985, that is, the date of
termination of leave and license as claimed in the
plaint and for a decree for possession of the said
premises and other reliefs.
• The learned single judge held that it was
license agreement and it was not a sub-lease.
• In appeal the Division Bench while reversing
observed that
“to put it pithily, if an interest in immovable
property entitling the transferees to
enjoyment is created, it is a lease, if
permission to use land without right to
exclusive possession is alone granted, a license
is the legal result”.
• Issues: Whether the disputed agreement falls for the
consideration of the lease or license?
• Observations: The appellants contention was that:
• 1. The appellant himself was a monthly tenant of the
premises and could not create a sub-tenancy without
prior written consent of the landlord in view of the
provisions of S.14(1) of the West Bengal Premises
Tenancy Act,1956. it is nobody’s case that such a
consent was obtained.
• 2. The license was for the purpose of running the
petrol station which had been set up by the appellant
and which the appellant no longer wished to operate.
• 3. The possible grant of sub-lease was specifically
reserved for the future in the event that the appellant
was able to obtain a consent from its landlord Mallika
Investment Company Pvt Ltd.
• 4. The license is stated to be for the benefit of the
respondent to “use, occupy, enjoy, run and work” the
petrol station.
• 5. The respondent was not obliged to pay any portion
of the outgoing in respect of the premises despite the
fact that 50% of municipal rates, taxes etc. were
normally payable by the occupier of the premises; thus
even the charges attendant upon occupation of the
premises were to be paid by the appellant.
• 6. The respondent was obliged to keep the plant
and machinery at the said premises in good
repair.
• 7. The respondent was obliged to take out
necessary insurance policies for the business.
• 8. The appellant was entitled to revoke the
license in the event of any breach or default on
the part of the respondent.
• 9. Clause 11 of the document specifically permits
the respondent to carry out business in the name
of the appellant which normally would not be
permitted if it is not a license to run the business.
• 10. Clause 12 of the document manifests the intention of
the parties that the document was executed only for the
purpose of creating a license and not a lease.
• 11. Clauses 13 to 17 of the document specifically make
provision for the possible future grant of sub-lease by the
appellant to the respondent in the event that the appellant
obtains a consent from the tenant. These clauses also
contemplate various terms which would be provided in the
prospective sub-lease.
• 12. Clause 18 provides for the payment of advance license
fees by the respondent and the term “demised premises”
used thrice in the clause must be read in conformity with
other clauses of the document and the intention of the
parites.
• 13. The right given to the respondent to give it on sub-
license was given, as the respondent was only to operate
the petrol station.
• Mr.Ashok Desai, learned senior counsel for the
appellant submitted that
1. the construction of the document would
depend upon its pith and substance and not upon
the labels that the parties may put upon it.
2. The paramount test for determining whether it
is a lease or a license is “the intention of the
parties”.
3. Exclusive possession of the premises being
granted, although an important factor, does not
preclude the court from holding that the
document is in fact a license as decided in many
precedent cases.
• 4. Even where exclusive possession is granted,
only a license will be created if the grantor did
not have the power to grant a lease. This
principal was laid down in the case of Rajbir Kaur
v. Chokesiri & Co.
• 5. The appellant, as a monthly tenant, was
forbidden by S.14(1) of the Act to sub-let the
premises without the prior written consent of the
landlord. It is nobody’s case that the prior written
consent of the landlord
• Against this Mr.D.P.Gupta, learned senior counsel for
respondent:
A. The court looks at the substance of the transaction
and not the label which the parties have agreed to
put on the transaction. The court is entitled to decide
whether or not the agreement between the parties is
a mere camouflage to get round the rigors of rent
control legislations.
B. Irrespective of the label that may have been put upon
the transaction by the parties, the court would gather
the true intention of the parties as to whether an
interest in the land or premises was sought to be
created or not.
C. Exclusive possession is a most significant indicator to
hold that the document creates a lease.
• Supported prepositions on behalf of the Respondent
extracted from the original agreement:
1. The license is described in the agreement so as to
include its successors and assignees as per the
memorandum of agreement.
2. The expression “demised premises” has been used
three times in clause 18 which leaves no doubt that
interest in the property is created.
3. The operative clause is in the language of a formal
lease. What is granted and given to use, occupy,
enjoy, run and work is the premises described in the
1st schedule together with the plant and machinery,
fixtures and fittings set out in the 2nd schedule.
• 4. ESSO was to pay for electricity, was liable to repair the
fittings and fixtures and to keep them in a proper running
and usable condition, was entitled to bring in and install
other machinery, was to take out necessary licenses and
insurance policies, could continue the business either in its
own name or in the name of Dewar(subject to indemnity)
and would not assume any liability or responsibility for
taking over the existing employees.
• 5. ESSO would have the right to grant leave and license to a
third party during the continuance of the agreement.
• 6. It was contemplated that if Dewar is able to obtain a
lease of the said premises on terms which would not be
inconsistent with ESSO’s standard form, then Dewar will
grant a sub-lease to ESSO for at least a period of 10 years
with three renewal options.
• The court observations are that:
In the case of Cobb v. Lane that “Certainly under
the old cases, if all one finds is that somebody
has been in occupation for an indefinite period
with no special evidence of how he got there or
of any arrangement being made when he went
into occupation, it may be that the court will find
a tenancy at will… The modern cases establish
that, if there is evidence of the circumstances in
which the person claiming to be a tenant at will
went into occupation, those circumstances must
be considered in deciding what the intention of
the parties was”.
• The main question needs to be answered is that
• “Did the circumstances and the conduct of the parties show
that all that was intended was that the occupier should
have a personal privilege with no interest in the land?”
• In Booker v. Palmer it was observed that “There is one
golden rule which is of very general application, namely,
that the law does not impute intention to enter into legal
relationship where the circumstances and the conduct of
the parties negative any intention of the kind”.
• In Rajbir Kaur case it was observed that “turns on the
operative intention of the parties and there is no single,
simple litmus test to distinguish one from the other. The
solution that would seem to have been found is, as one
would expect, that it must depend on the intention of the
parties”.
• From the aforesaid discussion what emerges is:
• 1. The intention of the parties.
• 2. intention can be gathered from the document itself.
• 3. If no written document then the intention to be gathered from
the other relevant circumstances then exclusive possession may be
the most relevant for it.
• 4. In cases where the landlord alleges that the tenant has sub-let
the premises and where the tenant in support of his own defense
sets up the plea of a mere licensee, the landlord who is not a party
to the deed is not bound by what emanates from the construction
of the deed;
• the tenant and the sub-tenant may jointly set up the plea of a
license against the landlord which is a camouflage;
• in such cases, the mask is to be removed or the veil is to be lifted
and the true intention behind the facade of a self-serving
conveniently drafted instrument is to be gathered from all the
relevant circumstances.
• Same would be the position where the owner
of the premises and the person in need of the
premises executes a deed labeling it as a
license deed to avoid the operation of rent
legislation.
 S.106 Duration of lease
In the absence of a contract or local law or usage to
the contrary;
(1) A lease of immovable property for agricultural
purposes or manufacturing purposes shall be
deemed to be-
(a) a lease from year to year,
(b) terminable on the part of either lessor or
lessee,
(C) By six month’s notice expiring with the end of a
year of the tenancy,
(2) A lease of immovable property for any other
purpose shall be deemed to be-
(a) A lease from month to month,
(b) Terminable on the part of either lessor or
lessee,
(c) By fifteen days notice, notice expiring with
the end of a month of the tenancy.
• Tenancy at will: The TPA has not defined anywhere the
tenancy at will. In Halsbury’s Laws of England it has
been defined as
• “It is a tenancy under which the tenant is in possession
and which is determinable at the will of either landlord
or tenant. A tenancy at will is implied when a person is
in possession with the consent of the owner and is not
held in virtue of any tenancy for a certain term.”
• Under this neither party can be certain of duration of
tenancy. In comparison to it, in tenancy from month to
month, the tenancy for one month is certain. Either
party may terminate the tenancy from month to month
by giving the appropriate notice to the opposite party.
• Tenancy of Sufferance: Where the tenant
continues to hold the possession even after the
expiry of the notice to quit, the tenant is not in
legal possession of the tenanted property. In such
situation, the tenant may be treated as a
trespasser.
• But, law does not penalize such tenant by
treating him a trespasser and he is regarded as
‘holding over’ the property without any legal
right. A tenant at sufferance may be asked to
vacate the premises without notice.
 S.107 Leases how made
A. Leases which can be made only by
registration-
(a) Leases from year to year.
(b) Leases from exceeding one year.
(c) Leases reserving an yearly rent.
(d) Permanent leases.
B. Leases in which registration is optional where
oral agreement and delivery of possession.
(a) Lease from month to month.
(b) Leases for a term of one year.
(c) Leases for a term of less than one year.
The Indian Registration Act,1908 also makes similar
provisions regarding the registration of leases.
U/S.17, the leases mentioned in group(A) are
compulsorily registerable. The leases grouped in (B)
may be made either by registered instrument or by
delivery of possession.
• The Supreme Court of India has stated the essential
ingredients of a lease are in the case of
• B. Arvind Kumar v. Government of India (2007) 5 SCC
745:2007.
(a) There should be a transfer of a right to enjoy an
immovable property.
(b) Such transfer may be for a certain term or in
perpetuity;
(c) The transfer should be in consideration of a premium
or rent;
(d) The transfer should be a bilateral transaction, the
transferee accepting the terms of transfer.