Clean hands requirement under Article 226 defeats writ relief where petitioner breaches sanction conditions and suppresses material facts.

Discretionary relief under Article 226 may be refused where the petitioner suppresses material facts, misstates the record, or acts in breach of contractual and financial obligations. On the facts recorded, the petitioner had routed sale proceeds through another bank contrary to the sanction conditions, which was treated as conduct showing lack of clean hands and abuse of process. The challenge to the Banking Ombudsman's jurisdiction was not accepted as a complete answer, but the petitioner still was not entitled to equitable relief. The writ petition was dismissed on equitable grounds and costs were imposed.

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Issues: Whether the writ petition deserved dismissal on the ground that the petitioner had not approached the Court with clean hands and had abused the process of law, thereby disentitling it to discretionary relief under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.

Analysis: Relief under Article 226 is discretionary and may be declined where the petitioner suppresses or misstates material facts or otherwise acts in breach of the underlying contractual and financial obligations. On the facts recorded, the petitioner was found to have routed sale proceeds through another bank contrary to the sanction conditions, and the conduct disclosed was held sufficient to show that the petitioner had not come to Court with clean hands. In that situation, even though the challenge to the Banking Ombudsman's jurisdiction was not accepted as a complete answer on law, the petitioner was still not entitled to equitable relief.

Conclusion: The writ petition was held to be liable to dismissal, and no relief was granted to the petitioner.

Final Conclusion: The petition failed on equitable grounds, and the Court declined to exercise its writ jurisdiction in the petitioner's favour, while also imposing costs.

Ratio Decidendi: A petitioner invoking discretionary writ jurisdiction under Article 226 must approach the Court with clean hands, and equitable relief may be refused where the petitioner's conduct amounts to abuse of process or material breach of obligations.

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