In Brief
Life Insurance Corporation and other public entities sought eviction of long-standing tenants under the Public Premises Act, 1971 (PP Act), arguing the Act overrides State Rent Control protections. Tenants contended their pre-1958 tenancies were beyond PP Act's reach. The High Court favored tenants, relying on an earlier Supreme Court bench decision. A three-judge Supreme Court bench resolved conflicting precedents, holding that the PP Act applies uniformly to all unauthorized occupants of public premises regardless of tenancy creation date. The Court overruled the smaller bench decision as violating precedent and held the PP Act's legislative purpose—ensuring speedy recovery of public property—necessarily overrides Rent Control Acts. Termination of tenancy renders occupants unauthorized under the PP Act.
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