Cessation of occupation in commercial tenancy depends on business use and total evidence, with tenant proving reasonable cause.

For a commercial building, occupation under Section 11(4)(v) of the Rent Control Act means occupation through conduct of business, and cessation must continue up to the filing date of the petition. The court adopted a realistic assessment of the total evidence, including circumstantial material such as a property tax assessment register and a commission report showing the premises locked and unattended, to infer non-occupation. Once cessation is established, the tenant must satisfactorily explain the reason, as that matter lies especially within the tenant's knowledge. The tenant's failure to produce dependable evidence of business activity justified an adverse inference, and the eviction order was restored.

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Issues: Whether the tenant had ceased to occupy the building continuously for six months immediately preceding the filing of the rent control petition within the meaning of Section 11(4)(v) of the Rent Control Act, and whether the tenant had shown reasonable cause for such cessation.

Analysis: For a commercial building, occupation means occupation by conduct of business. Cessation under Section 11(4)(v) must continue up to the date of filing of the petition, but the inquiry must be realistic and based on the totality of the evidence, including circumstantial evidence. A property tax assessment register is a relevant document with evidentiary value, and the commission report showing the premises locked and cobwebs inside supported the inference of non-occupation. Once cessation is shown, the reason for cessation lies especially within the tenant's knowledge, and the tenant must explain it by satisfactory evidence. The tenant's failure to produce dependable documentary evidence of business activity justified an adverse inference.

Conclusion: The landlord established cessation of occupation under Section 11(4)(v), and the tenant failed to prove reasonable cause. The eviction order of the Rent Control Court was rightly restored.

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