ASHOKA MARKETING LTD. AND ANR. ETC. ETC. vs PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK AND ORS. ETC. ETC.

The Supreme Court addressed the applicability of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, to premises owned by nationalised banks, determining that such premises do qualify as 'public premises' under Section 2(e) of the Act. The Court held that the provisions of the Public Premises Act override the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958, thereby denying tenants the statutory protections under the latter once their tenancy has expired or been terminated. Consequently, the appeals against the eviction orders were dismissed, affirming the validity of the eviction proceedings initiated under the Public Premises Act.