Statutory Protection Under Maharashtra Rent Control Act Can't Be Circumvented By Invoking Arbitration Petition To Seek 'Speedy Eviction': High Court

The Bombay High Court held that the statutory protection accorded to protected tenants under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act cannot be circumvented by invoking Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act to seek speedy eviction. The court emphasized that the special provisions of the Rent Control Act, designed to protect tenants, would prevail over the general provisions of the Arbitration Act in matters of eviction involving protected tenants. Arbitration cannot be used to bypass these tenant protections.