MUMBAI, Sept. 22 -- The Bombay High Court recently ruled that a tenant suppressing material facts cannot seek protection from eviction, especially after claiming an alternate accommodation and compensation. The case arose from a tenancy dispute at Bachubhai Chawl in Kurla West, which became the subject plot of the Andheri-Kurla road widening project. To avail the project benefits, the landlord allegedly threatened to dispossess the tenant, Ramprakash Chowdhary, so the tenant instituted a suit seeking a temporary injunction against eviction. The landlord argued that the tenant had surrendered tenancy after a leave and licence agreement was executed between her and Chowdhary's son in September 2022. A trial court rejected the temporary injunction application on the ground that the tenant had suppressed material facts and not approached the court with clean hands. In October 2024, the appellate bench of the Small Causes Court, noting that the execution of the documents appeared suspicious, as the deed of surrender and the registered leave and licence agreement were executed on the same day, i.e., September 12, 2022, granted an interim injunction. The landlord approached the high court this year through advocate Surel Shah, who said the Appellate Bench completely ignored the material suppression of facts. He also submitted that the tenant cannot seek relief now as he already claimed compensation and an alternate accommodation after two of his shops were demolished due to the project. Advocate Sunil Mishra, for Chowdhary, said it was beyond logic for the tenant to surrender tenancy rights only to reoccupy the same premises on licence. A single bench of Justice N.J. Jamadar, in a July order that was recently made available, restored the trial court's rejection of the temporary injunction. "The law has developed to the point that the litigants who approach the court with unclean hands are not even entitled to be heard on the merits of their case," the court said....