Samathapala Jayawardena vs People’s Bank – SC APPEAL NO. 119/09-2017

The case between Samathapala Jayawardena (and Substituted Plaintiff Respondents) and People’s Bank addressed the entitlement of People’s Bank to deduct Rs. 5.532546 million for overdue overdraft facilities from the purchase price of property sold by the Plaintiff. The issue concerned whether the lower courts erred in their evaluation of evidentiary matters, particularly regarding the legitimacy of the deduction and the existence of any agreement between the parties. It was held that the lower courts did not sufficiently scrutinize the evidence and that the findings were not perverse or unsupported. The principle established reiterates judicial restraint in overturning findings of fact unless shown to be manifestly unsupported. Reliance was placed on documentary evidence such as board resol