Following a letter withdrawing the complaint filed for being unlawfully evicted by a landlord, the dispute settlement committee of the Samdrupjongkhar Thromde has dismissed the case.

The thromde had verbally ordered the house owner to pay a penalty of Nu 8,250 as decided by the committee on March 24.

The fine was imposed after a tenant lodged a complaint in November last year for unlawful eviction. The committee found that the tenant had not violated any provision of the Tenancy Act, nor agreement.

The thromde received a letter from the tenant on March 30 stating that the tenant would like to withdraw the suit. The letter stated that both the owner and tenant have exchanged apologies for the damages and inconveniences caused.

The tenant also mentioned in the letter that the main intention of the complaint was to “create awareness on the Act to the house owner,” which is why the tenant sought the withdrawal and dismissal of the case as no “judgment was passed.”

The house owner has agreed to “substantially” compensate the damage suffered by the tenant in accordance to the Act.

A thromde official said that since the case has been withdrawn, the committee couldn’t take any action even though the Act was violated. “We took action based on the allegation made by the tenant. Since there is no allegation now, we cannot take action.”

According to the Tenancy Act, a house owner can evict a tenant if the tenant has not paid rent for two preceding months or if the tenant refuses to vacate after the expiry or termination of tenancy or if he or she doesn’t comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement. The owner has to serve the eviction notice in less than three months.

The Act also provides that an owner can revise rent by only 10 percent every two years. Both the house owner and tenant should make sure a copy of the agreement and submit it to the thromde.

Yangchen C Rinzin | Samdrupjongkhar