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TMI Blog2004 (4) TMI 643X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... i Angappa Chettiar in favour of Burmah Shell Oil Storage Distributing Company Limited (Burmah Shell) in respect of 23 acres and 16 cents of property/land situated in the town of Bhavani for a period of twenty years on a quarterly rent of ₹ 300/- for the purpose of erecting an installation and/or one or more pumps service/ filling stations together with overhead/underground tanks and other fittings for storage of petroleum products and such other facilities and buildings as the lessee may require and for carrying business is such products through such facilities and other kindred motor accessories or any other trade or business that can conveniently be carried on in the demised premises . The original lessor allegedly executed a will bequeathing the said site to her grandson Meenashisundaram, who expired on 3.11.1971 whereafter rent used to be paid to the guardian and mother of the said Meenashisundaram, Smt. G. Chellammal. 4. The appellant herein claimed itself to be a tenant in respect of the said premise relying on or on the basis of the provisions of the said Act. It is not in dispute that the lessor by a notice dated 4.2.1987 purported to terminate the t ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... hen the suit for recovery of possession is pending, as soon as filing of suit for renewal of the lease, the appellant ought to have taken steps for joint trial. He has allowed two suits to be proceeded with, independently. That means, he wanted to take a chance before both the courts below. This conduct of the appellant cannot be appreciated. Hence, I do not find any error in the findings of the Courts below that the appellant has not taken any steps to get the lease renewed prior to the expiry of the lease. Hence, the second appeal is dismissed. Consequently, CMP 8085 of 1998 is also dismissed. 7. Hence this appeal. SUBMISSIONS : 8. Mr. K. Ramamoorthy, learned Senior Counsel, appearing on behalf of the appellant would submit that the High Court went wrong in passing the impugned judgment holding that Section 107 of the Transfer of Property Act was attracted in the instant case. The learned counsel would urge that the provisions of the said Act, having regard to Section 11 thereof, shall prevail over the Transfer of Property Act. 9. The learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondents, on the other hand, would subm ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... n 5 shall apply to a lease or tenancy which vests in a Government company as tenancy in the Central Government and reference therein to the Central Government shall be construed as the reference to the Government company. Section 11 of the Act provides for a non-obstante clause stating that the provisions thereof shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in Force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law other than the said Act. FINDINGS : 11. The said Act is a special statute vis-a-vis the Transfer of Property Act which is a general statute. By reason of the provisions of the said Act, the right, title and interest of Burmah Shell vested in the Central Government and consequently upon the appellant Company. A lease of immovable property is also an asset and/or right in an immovable property. The lease-hold right, thus, held by Burmah Shell vested in the appellant. By reason of Sub-section (2) of Section 5 of the Act, a right of renewal was created in the appellant in terms whereof in the event of exercise of its option, the existing lease was renewed for a further term ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... is clear, be taken to control the non obstante clause where both cannot be read harmoniously; for, even apart from such clause, a later law abrogates earlier laws clearly inconsistent with it. Posteriores leges priores contrarias abrogant (Broome's Legal Maxims, Edn. 10 p. 347). Here, Section 2 entitles every Advocate of the Supreme Court as of right to practise in any High Court in India. 18. We, therefore, are of the opinion that the legislative scheme contained in the said Act leads to only one conclusion that if Government company expresses its desire to renew the lease, the same would stand renewed on the same terms and conditions. 19. Section 5(2) and Section 7(3) of the Act are required to be given its purposive meaning, having regard to the object and purport the statute seeks to achieve. The Central Government by reason of the provisions of the said Act acquired running business undertakings dealing in distribution and marketing of petroleum products. The leases or tenancy for outlets are, therefore, continued to be kept with the Central Government or the Government company, as the case may be, so that no let or hindrance is placed in th ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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