Rent row: Ashram School gets relief

Justice CV Karthikeyan, who admitted the suit moved by Aishwarya in his interim order passed on Tuesday, said, “An order was passed by this court in the forenoon appointing an Advocate Commissioner to examine whether the school is locked. Thereafter, the matter was posted to 4:30 pm. Even before the Commissioner could file his report, counsel for the defendants represented that the school has been opened pursuant to the orders passed by this court. The keys and lock were given to the security in the presence of the principal. The school also started functioning from 1.30 pm.” 

The judge also on recording the submission of the land owner that there are dues of rental for which they have filed a delegate suit, also directed him to file statement of accounts with respect to the rental arrears and the period since it is not paid and the advance amount received. 

Also, directing Aishwarya to file their statement of accounts and noting that there is also a dispute with respect to name of the tenant, posted the case to August 24, for the receipt of the Advocate Commissioner’s report. The judge also clubbed together the suit filed by the landowner for recovery of arrears and enhanced rent and the present suit moved by Aishwarya to ensure that the issues could be adjudicated in their entirety. He also recorded the Aishwarya’s counsel presenting five demand drafts one drawn in the name of the landowner for Rs.6.55 lakh, which had not been accepted and four other DDs drawn in favour of four other defendants for Rs.1.24 lakh each. 

Aishwarya, in her plea, had submitted that on August 16, the landowner locked the gate forcing the school management to shift the students to another institution. She contended that when a suit filed by the landowner for recovery of arrears and enhanced rent was still in court, he should not have locked the gate. She had also submitted that the landowner’s version of the rental dues was false and misleading. Moreover, when the compromised talks between the parties were still on, the owner should not have locked the gate, she added.