India, Sept. 30 -- The Karnataka state government has introduced amendments to the Karnataka Rent Control Act, 1999, decriminalizing rental disputes while imposing higher penalties. Nine clauses of the Act now carry hefty fines instead of criminal charges. These include unauthorised tenant subletting, illegal evictions by landlords, falsification of property details, and failure to register real estate agents or middlemen with state-appointed rent controllers, a media report has said.

For instance, tenants who sublet, assign, or part with possession of any part or whole of a premises in violation of the law may face a penalty of up to Rs.50,000 or double the rent received for subletting each month until the violation ends, whichever is h...