(1) No landlord or property manager shall, either by himself or through any other person, withhold any essential supply or service in the premises occupied by the tenant.
(2) In case of contravention of provisions of sub-section (1) and on application made by the tenant in this behalf, the Rent Authority after examining the matter, may pass an interim order directing the restoration of supply of essential services immediately on service of such order upon the landlord or property manager, pending the enquiry referred to in sub-section (3).
(3) The Rent Authority shall conduct an enquiry in respect of the application made by the tenant under sub-section (2), and complete the enquiry within one month of filing such application.
(4 ) Any such enquiry or its outcome as referred to in sub-section (3) shall not affect the terms of the tenancy agreement or the period of tenancy as mentioned in sections 4 and 5.
(5) The Rent Authority may, after giving an opportunity of being heard, award a compensation not exceeding two months' rent to be paid by the person responsible for withholding the essential supply, so as to compensate the loss incurred.
(6) The Rent Authority may levy a penalty of a sum not exceeding twice the monthly rent to the tenant, if it finds that the application was frivolous or vexatious.
(7) For the purposes of this section, the term "essential services" includes supply of water, electricity, piped cooking gas supply, lights in passages, lifts and on staircase, conservancy, parking, communication links, sanitary services and security fixtures and features.
Duties of property manager and consequences of violation of duties.
Withholding essential supply or service.
SEC. 1] THE GAZETTE OF INDIA EXTRAORDINARY 9
CHAPTER V EVICTION AND RECOVERY OF POSSESSION OF PREMISES BY LANDLORD