Karnataka Rent Act: Rs 50,000 fine for tenants subletting without landlord’s consent
Bengaluru: Tenants in Karnataka who sublet rented premises without the landlord’s consent will soon face a hefty penalty of Rs 50,000, a 900% hike from the current fine, as per amendments proposed under the Karnataka Rent Act.
The Karnataka Rent (Amendment) Bill, which includes these stricter provisions, has been cleared by the scrutiny committee headed by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil. It is expected to be tabled in the upcoming session of the state legislature, as reported by Deccan Herald on Thursday.
Currently, the penalty for unauthorised subletting is Rs 5,000 or double the amount received from subletting—whichever is higher—or imprisonment for up to one month. The proposed amendment will replace this with a fine of Rs 50,000.
In a move to deter landlords from exploiting tenants, the bill also proposes increasing the penalty for landlords who demand or receive payment for granting consent to sublet. Such landlords will now face a fine of Rs 30,000, up from the existing Rs 3,000. Imprisonment of up to one month is being dropped, according to the amendment proposed.
The amendment also targets unregistered brokers and middlemen involved in property rentals. Under Section 20 of the Act, they are required to register with the ‘controller’—typically an assistant commissioner in large cities, a senior tahsildar in smaller towns, or a tahsildar in rural areas, added the report.
Failure to register will now attract a daily penalty of Rs 25,000, a massive increase from the current Rs 2,000. Moreover, a daily fine of Rs 20,000 will be levied for each day of continued violation, compared to the existing Rs 2,000.
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Congress misleading public on National Herald case, matter still in court: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress of running misleading propaganda over the trial court's decision in the National Herald case and said the court refused to take cognisance of the complaint but did not set aside the case.
The case is still pending trial in the Delhi High Court, and the trial court in its order on Tuesday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) can continue its investigation, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia asserted.
"The court yesterday (Tuesday) said that since it is a private complaint and no FIR has been lodged, it will not take cognizance of it. It's a technical matter. The court also said that ED can continue its investigation further. The court did not set it aside," Bhatia told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here
"Its trial is still going on. Sonia Gandhi is still Accused Number-1 and Rahul Gandhi Accused Number-2," the BJP spokesperson said, alleging, "The Gandhi family thrives on deceit, deception, and propaganda."
