In Brief
A tenant in Kolkata ceased paying rent (Rs. 352/month) from 2005. The landlords filed an eviction suit in 2013. The tenant filed a protection application under the West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act over ten months late, claiming his advocate gave poor advice. The trial court rejected the application as time-barred. The High Court allowed it, permitting the tenant to seek delay condonation under the Limitation Act. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that Section 5 of the Limitation Act does not apply to tenancy deposit requirements. A tenant must deposit admitted rent arrears within the statutory period; incorrect legal advice is no excuse. The court upheld eviction.
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