Fazal Hardware Pvt Ltd vs Buwalu Patabandige Thilakasiri – SC APPEAL NO 76/2022-2025

In the case between Buwalu Patabandige Thilakasiri and Fazal Hardware Pvt Ltd, the court addressed whether the termination of the applicant’s employment constituted unjust dismissal. The holding determined that the applicant’s claim was undermined by falsified evidence and a lack of candor, with insufficient evaluation of these issues by the lower courts. The principle reaffirmed was that equitable relief requires parties to approach the court with clean hands. This decision relied upon an appraisal of the evidentiary record and the maxim “he who seeks equity must come with clean hands,” establishing that deliberate misrepresentation and voluntary abandonment of employment preclude the grant of relief. As a result, prior decisions of the Labour Tribunal and High Court were set aside, reaff