Sufficient cause for rent deposit default requires bona fide, reasonable conduct; later appellate deposit does not cure non-compliance.

Section 11(1) of the Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960 requires a tenant facing eviction for rent default to deposit arrears and continue current rent during proceedings, and Section 11(4) grants relief only on proof of sufficient cause for non-compliance. The text explains that "sufficient cause" demands bona fide, reasonable conduct and no negligence or inaction. On the stated facts, the tenant did not deposit rent within time, did not seek relief on a genuine inability to comply, denied the landlord-tenant relationship, and failed to maintain monthly deposits. The later deposit before the appellate authority was said to satisfy only the appeal-hearing requirement and not to establish sufficient cause. The note states that eviction for default was therefore sustainable.

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Issues: Whether the tenant had shown sufficient cause under Section 11(4) of the Tamil Nadu Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, 1960 for not depositing the arrears and continuing rent within time so as to avoid eviction for default.

Analysis: Section 11(1) requires a tenant facing eviction for rent default to deposit all arrears and continue to pay current rent during the proceedings. Section 11(4) permits relief only if the tenant shows sufficient cause for non-deposit. The expression "sufficient cause" requires sincerity, bona fide conduct, reasonableness, and absence of negligence or inaction. On the facts, the tenant neither deposited the rent within the time fixed nor moved the Controller for relief on the footing of a genuine inability to comply. Instead, the tenant denied the landlord-tenant relationship and did not maintain the monthly deposits required by law. The later deposit made before the appellate authority was only to meet the statutory requirement for hearing the appeal and did not establish bona fides or sufficient cause.

Conclusion: The tenant did not establish sufficient cause for the default in deposit of arrears and current rent. The eviction order was sustainable and the tenant's challenge failed.

Ratio Decidendi: Relief from eviction for non-deposit of rent can be granted only when the tenant proves bona fide, reasonable and unavoidable cause for non-compliance with the statutory deposit obligation.

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