Withholding essential supply or service

(1) No landlord or property manager shall, either by himself or through any other person, withhold any essential supply or service in the premises occupied by the tenant. (2) In case of contravention of provisions of sub-section (1) and on application made by the tenant in this behalf, the Rent Authority after examining the matter, may pass an interim order directing the restoration of supply of essential services immediately on service of such order upon the landlord or property manager, as the case may be, pending the inquiry referred to in sub-section (3). (3) The Rent Authority shall conduct an enquiry in respect of the application made by the tenant under sub-section (2), and complete the inquiry within one month of filing such application. (4) The Rent Authority may, after giving a reasonable opportunity of being heard, award a compensation not exceeding two months rent to be paid by the person responsible for withholding the essential supply, so as to compensate the loss incurred. (5) The Rent Authority may levy a penalty of a sum not exceeding twice the monthly rent to the tenant, if it finds that the application was frivolous or vexatious. Explanation.–– For the purposes of this section, essential services includes supply of water, electricity, piped cooking gas supply, lights in passages, lifts and on staircase, conservancy, parking, communication links, sanitary services and security fixtures and features.