Jharkhand High Court Says Auction Sale Alone Cannot Displace Existing Tenants

The Jharkhand High Court has clarified that an auction purchaser takes property subject to existing tenancy rights unless eviction is obtained on a legally recognised statutory ground.

Property dispute before the Court

The premises belonged to a borrower that had defaulted on a loan from the Bihar State Financial Corporation. BSFC auctioned the property and later directed shopkeepers occupying the premises as tenants to vacate.

Legal issue and reasoning

The tenants challenged the notice, arguing that they could not be removed merely because ownership had changed through auction.

Justice Ananda Sen held that the auction sale does not itself create a ground of eviction. Existing tenants continue to receive the protection available under the State rent-control law.

Result

Any purchaser seeking possession must proceed on one of the statutory grounds for eviction and follow the procedure prescribed by the Jharkhand Building (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control Act.