Chandigarh, Sept. 25 -- The district court has 206 Rent Control and Additional Rent Control cases pending till September, with the year-on-year data showing a continuing workload of rent disputes even as the UT has introduced a new tenancy framework aimed at time bound resolution. The Assam Tenancy Act, 2021, was extended to Chandigarh on May 6, 2026, replacing the earlier rent control framework. The new system seeks to bring landlord-tenant disputes under a dedicated three tier mechanism and provide clearer, time-bound procedures. However, district court data shows 206 cases pending till September 2026, against 18 disposed of. The figures for earlier years show 203 pending and 99 disposed cases in 2025; 150 pending and 187 disposed in 2024; 136 pending and 229 disposed in 2023; 103 pending and 282 disposed in 2022; and 65 pending and 312 disposed in 2021. The figures represent the number of cases pending or disposed of in the respective years and do not indicate the year in which the pending cases were instituted. Advocate Amit Sharma said, "The new framework could change the way landlord-tenant disputes are handled by replacing conventional civil court procedures with a dedicated mechanism." The earlier East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act, 1949, was introduced in the post Partition period of housing shortage and was strongly tenant-protective. Over time, eviction and rent disputes could pass through multiple procedural stages, with repeated adjournments, evidence, execution proceedings and challenges before higher courts contributing to delays. The new framework provides for a three-tier system comprising the rent authority, rent court and rent tribunal, with summary, affidavit-based proceedings. It also prescribes timelines for different stages, including replies, appeals and execution proceedings.According to Sharma, the mechanism could help prevent fresh tenancy disputes from piling up in civil courts, but it cannot clear the existing backlog, as cases under the earlier framework continue under the applicable transitional provisions. He also flagged the need for dedicated judicial officers instead of overburdened revenue officials such as tehsildars to adjudicate tenancy disputes. A functional, integrated and user-friendly digital portal for registrations and filings would also be necessary, he added. Sharma said that potential digital literacy gaps among property owners and administrative delays in fully operationalising the online system could pose challenges. He suggested that Punjab and Haryana adopt a 'wait and watch' approach before considering a similar Model Tenancy Act-based system for Mohali and Panchkula, and first assess Chandigarh's experience.The scale of prolonged litigation can be seen in individual cases. Col HS Dhillon (retd) vs Akhilesh Kumar Sinha, concerning a residential portion in Sector 15-C, Chandigarh, continued for about 25 years, from October 1997 to September 2022. Another dispute, Reetu Anand vs Suresh Soni, concerning a property in Sector 13, has remained in litigation for more than a decade. The matter initially went before the district court, then the sessions court and subsequently the high court. Advocate Varun Tuteja said rent disputes constitute a significant category of civil litigation in Chandigarh and that several matters remain pending for years. "Rent disputes constitute a significant category of civil litigation in Chandigarh, with a number of matters remaining pending for several years. The delay is generally attributable to repeated adjournments, procedural stages, evidence, execution proceedings and challenges before higher courts," he said. The new framework makes written tenancy agreements mandatory, replacing the earlier scope for informal or oral tenancies. Agreements are to be registered digitally and assigned a unique identification number. The framework provides for higher penal rent when tenants continue to occupy premises after their lawful tenancy has ended. The UT has maintained that the new framework, aligned with the Centre's Model Tenancy Act, seeks to replace the earlier system with one based on written contracts, time-bound dispute resolution and clearer rights on both sides....