Sri Co-operative Industries Federation Ltd v. Kotalawala – sllr 2009 volume 2 page 241

In the case between SRI CO-OPERATIVE INDUSTRIES FEDERATION LTD (appellant) and KOTALAWALA (respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the respondent was entitled to payment for the purported installation of a 165 KVA transformer, when the evidence indicated the transformer was supplied and installed by a third party, Lanka Electricity Company (LECO), and not by the respondent. The court held that the respondent had not discharged the burden of proving that the installation work was completed as tendered, and therefore was not entitled to payment for that item. This holding reaffirmed the principle that legal burden of proof remains with the party asserting performance under a contract, and that uncorroborated hearsay and self-serving documents are insufficient to establish such