Overview
Property disputes account for a significant volume of litigation in India. Landlord-tenant relationships often devolve into disagreements particularly over rent, deposits, maintenance, and use of the leased premises. With the intention of maintaining the upper hand in such disputes and to potentially recover rents or force tenants to vacate the premises, landlords often resort to disconnection of essential utilities such as water supply and electricity. Although a common practice, this unauthorised disconnection of essential services is unlawful. This article aims to examine what constitutes “essential utilities” or “essential services” in a leasehold arrangement, the legal framework that prevents unauthorised disconnection of essential utilities by landlords and safeguards provided to tenants under law.
What constitutes essential utilities?
(a) In general parlance, essential utilities refer to “water, gas and electricity”. Essential utilities have been given a specific definition under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 19991 and the Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 19602 which includes “supply of water, electricity, lights in passages and staircases, lifts and conservancy or sanitary service” and “supply of water, electricity, passages, staircases, light, lavatories, lifts and conservancy or sanitary service” respectively.
(b) In States such as West Bengal and Karnataka3, where tenancy laws have limited applicability and are less comprehensive, there are fewer regulations that protect tenants and ensure that these essential services are provided/not tampered with by the landlord during the subsistence of the tenancy, to meet ulterior goals.
(c) It is settled law that electricity and water are basic services which cannot be denied to any person. In the context of electricity, the Supreme Court in Dilip v. Satish4 (Dilip Shah) held as follows:
9. It is now well-settled proposition of law that electricity is a basic amenity of which a person cannot be deprived. Electricity cannot be declined to a tenant on the ground of failure/refusal of the landlord to issue no objection certificate. All that the electricity supply authority is required to examine is whether the applicant for electricity connection is in occupation of the premises in question.
(d) Relying on Dilip Shah5, the High Court of Delhi in Sudharshan Kumar Sharma v. State (NCT of Delhi)6 held that “electricity is an essential service, of which a person cannot be deprived without cogent, lawful reason”.
(e) In Noble Plastic Industry v. Karnataka Power Transmission Corpn. Ltd.7 (Noble Plastic) the High Court of Karnataka held that: (i) electricity and water are essential amenities of life; (ii) any illegal interference in the supply of those amenities would seriously affect the life and liberty of a person; and (iii) as long as a tenant is in occupation of the premises and the relationship of landlord and tenant continues and if there are no arrears of electricity charges, it is not permissible for the landlord to disconnect the electricity supply.
(f) The High Court of Madras in Cosmo Towers Owners’ Assn. v. Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board8 observed that “disconnection of water supply is a deprivation of the fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which includes right to livelihood and the same consists of water supply to sustain such livelihood”.
Disconnection of essential utilities by the landlord in case of illegal occupants — permissible or not?
Disconnection of essential utilities, irrespective of a tenant occupying the leasehold premises in a lawful manner, or in an unlawful manner, cannot be utilised as a tool to enforce payment of rent, or to even evict the tenant. In case of tenants illegally occupying the leasehold premises, lessors are often faced with situations where such tenants continue to occupy the leasehold premises even when the period of lease has lapsed by efflux of time or without making payment towards rental dues — either on account of unlawful withholding of the premises or disputes with the landlord on issues relating security deposit, etc. The issue that arises for consideration in such a situation is whether the lessor is required to provide essential services such as water and electricity to illegal occupants?
On the issue of providing essential services to illegal occupants, it is necessary to account for the fact that the issue of “possession” or “illegal occupation” needs to be contested and established in civil proceedings under applicable laws. In cases where a landlord takes steps to enter the premises to evict an occupant, whether legal or illegal, without recourse to the due process of law and in an attempt to achieve such end disconnects essential services such as water and electricity, is amenable to criminal proceedings for trespass by the tenant/occupant. It is also imperative to consider that any action by a landlord without appropriate eviction action having been taken, could potentially provide the lessee with an arguable case for interim protection pending an order that they are in illegal occupation of the lease premises. In order to obtain expeditious relief, a lessee may even approach the jurisdictional High Court against by filing a writ petition against the relevant electricity providing authorities seeking reconnection of services. Given the nature of the dictum of the Karnataka High Court in Noble Plastic9, courts may take a view that in the event that there are no arrears of electricity charges, the action of the Electricity Board in disconnecting electricity at the instance of the landlord is illegal and that the Board concerned ought to take steps to restore electricity to the premises.
Conclusion
From a review of the extant law and judicial precedent, it is clear that essential services such as water and electricity constitute basic human rights. While a robust legislation to protect tenancy rights is being deliberated, until it is enforced, the law as laid down in judicial precedent will act as a guardian of rights of tenants and illegal occupants, against illegal action by a landlord seeking to deprive them of essential services.
*Partner, Khaitan & Co.
**Principal Associate, Khaitan & Co.
***Associate, Khaitan & Co.
****Associate, Khaitan & Co.
1. Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, S. 29.
2. Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960, S. 17.
3. Karnataka Rent Act, 1999, S. 2.