Section 51 of Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 - Controllers to be Public Servants

Section 51 of the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 gives statutory public-servant status to the Controllers and Additional Controllers appointed under the Act. The provision forms part of Chapter VIII, which contains miscellaneous provisions of the Act.

Text of Section 51

51. Controllers to be public servants.
All Controllers and additional Controllers appointed under this Act shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

Meaning and purpose of Section 51

The provision expressly treats every Controller and Additional Controller appointed under the Delhi Rent Control Act as a public servant. The deeming clause is important because these statutory authorities perform adjudicatory and administrative functions under the rent-control framework.

The expression "Controller" refers to a person appointed as Controller under the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958. An "Additional Controller" is an additional statutory authority appointed under the Act to exercise the powers assigned under the rent-control law.

Reference to Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code

Section 51, as enacted, expressly refers to Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. That reference is part of the statutory text of the Delhi Rent Control Act and should therefore be preserved when reproducing Section 51.

Current criminal-law context: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024 and now contains the general definition of "public servant" in Section 2(28). This later development does not justify silently rewriting the wording of Section 51; the bare provision should be read in its enacted statutory context together with applicable saving and interpretation provisions.

Practical effect

By creating a statutory deeming rule, Section 51 confirms that Controllers and Additional Controllers are treated as public servants for the legal consequences attached to that status. The section should be read with the appointment and jurisdiction provisions of the Delhi Rent Control Act and with other laws applicable to public servants.

Official legal resources

For the official consolidated text, amendments and legislative material, readers may verify the enactment through India Code. The official India Code text identifies the Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958 as Act No. 59 of 1958 and lists Section 51 under Chapter VIII.

Legal information on this page is intended for general reference. For a dispute involving the status, powers or conduct of a Controller, the current statutory text, amendments and relevant judicial decisions should be checked.