In Brief
A tenant challenged a court order rejecting his late application for rent deposit under the West Bengal Premises Tenancy Act, 1997, seventeen days after the thirty-day statutory deadline. He sought condonation of delay under the Limitation Act, 1963. The Supreme Court held that the time limits in Section 7 of the WBPT Act are strictly mandatory and cannot be extended via the Limitation Act. Deposit of rent and filing of applications must occur within thirty days of summons service; failure results in striking out of the tenant's defence against eviction. The proviso allowing extension applies only post-determination of rent, not the initial deposit period. The appeal was dismissed, affirming that tenant protections depend on mandatory, timely compliance.
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