Decriminalises Rent Act minor offences; Passes Chamundeshwari Authority Amendment Bill

Belagavi: The State Assembly on Tuesday passed 12 Bills, including the Karnataka Rent (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to decriminalise minor offences and rationalise penalties. Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told the House that the amendment was based on a draft law circulated by the Union Government.

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the Bill aims to uphold the principle of “minimum government, maximum governance” by removing imprisonment clauses for minor violations and aligning the State law with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023.

“The government’s focus is on regulating rents and protecting the interests of tenants. The original Act contained imprisonment provisions for minor offences, which are now being decriminalised in line with reforms undertaken across the country,” Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.

The amendment removes imprisonment clauses for several offences while increasing monetary penalties. It also omits Section 53 of the original Act, which dealt with the cognisance of offences and powers of prosecution.

Under the amended law, landlords or tenants who fail to produce a copy of the tenancy agreement or other required particulars will be liable to a penalty of up to Rs. 2,000, along with an additional fine of Rs. 5,000. Currently, such violations attract a fine of Rs. 2,000, simple imprisonment of up to one month, and a daily penalty of Rs. 500.

Middlemen or agents who fail to register with the Government will face a fine of up to Rs. 2,000 and a daily penalty of Rs. 20,000. At present, the offence carries a fine of Rs. 2,000, imprisonment of up to one month and a daily penalty of Rs. 2,000.

Chamundeshwari Temple Authority

The Assembly also passed a Bill to further amend the Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority Act, 2024. The amendment provides that the State Government shall appoint a Group-A senior-scale officer from the Karnataka Government Secretariat Service, the Karnataka Administrative Service (super time scale) or the Endowment Department as the Secretary of the Authority.

A Group-B officer from the Endowment Department will serve as Deputy Secretary. The Secretary and other officers will draw salaries and allowances as prescribed by the State Government, which will also have the power to grant leave of absence.

Other Bills passed

Other legislation cleared by the House includes the Karnataka Land Revenue (Second Amendment) Bill, the Sri Malai Mahadeshwaraswamy Kshetra Development Authority (Amendment) Bill and the Chandragutti Shree Renukamba Kshetra Development Authority Bill.

The Assembly also approved the Karnataka Cine and Cultural Activists’ Welfare (Amendment) Bill, the Karnataka Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill, the Karnataka State Universities (Second Amendment) Bill, the Bayaluseeme Development Board (Amendment) Bill and the Malnad Area Development Board (Amendment) Bill.