Question:

Principle: Employer is liable for the injury caused to the employee in the course of his employment.
Facts: X organized a party and hired a caterer. During the party, generator set went out of order and he requested one employee of caterer i.e. Y to bring the mechanic on his vehicle and promised to pay 1000 for the same to Y. Y met with an accident while going to fetch the mechanic and he seeks compensation.
This question consists of legal principle(s) (hereinafter referred to as ‘principle‘) and facts. Such proposition may or may not be true in the real and legal sense, yet you have to conclusively assume them to be true for the purposes of this section. Principles have to be applied to the given facts to arrive at the most reasonable conclusion. Only one of the alternatives, i.e., (A), (B), (C), or (D) is the most reasonable conclusion. In other words, in answering the following questions, you must not rely on any principle except the principles that are given herein below for every question. Further you must not assume any facts other than those stated in the question. The objective of this section is to test your ability in legal aptitude, study of law, research aptitude and problem solving ability even if the ’most reasonable conclusion‘ arrived at may be absurd or unacceptable for any other reason.

Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
  • X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X
  • X is not liable as Y is not his employee
  • X is liable because party was organized by him
  • Caterer is liable as Y is his employee
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The Correct Option is A

Approach Solution - 1

The correct option is (A): X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X.
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Approach Solution -2

The principle makes an employer liable for injury caused to an employee in the course of that employment. X hired a caterer for a party, and when the generator broke down, X personally asked Y, one of the caterer's staff, to fetch a mechanic on his own vehicle and promised to pay Y 1000 for doing it. Y was injured on the way and claims compensation.

  1. X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X: By directly instructing Y to fetch the mechanic and promising to pay Y personally for that specific task, X created a fresh, direct arrangement with Y for that errand. The accident happened while Y was carrying out exactly that task, so it occurred in the course of the employment X had offered him for it.
  2. X is not liable as Y is not his employee: While Y is normally the caterer's employee, this specific task came with X's own direct instruction and X's own promised payment, which placed Y under X's employment for that particular job, so the general employer employee relationship with the caterer does not settle who is liable for this errand.
  3. X is liable because party was organized by him: Simply having organized the party is too broad a reason on its own, X's liability here comes specifically from directly engaging Y and promising to pay him for the errand, not merely from being the host of the event.
  4. Caterer is liable as Y is his employee: Y's general employment by the caterer does not cover this specific task, since Y was acting on X's direct instruction and for X's promised payment, outside the caterer's control, when the accident occurred.

Because X personally directed Y to fetch the mechanic and promised to pay him for it, that specific task falls within an employment relationship X created with Y, making X liable for the injury that occurred while Y was carrying it out.

Therefore, the correct answer is X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X.

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Approach Solution -3

The fact that decides this question is who was actually directing Y and paying him for the specific task at the time of the accident, not who Y ordinarily works for. X personally instructed Y to fetch the mechanic and personally promised to pay him 1000 for it, which is what created the employment relationship relevant here.

  1. X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X: This matches the deciding fact directly, X directly instructed Y and promised payment for this specific errand, and the accident happened while Y was carrying it out.
  2. X is not liable as Y is not his employee: This looks only at Y's general employment with the caterer and ignores that X created a direct arrangement with Y for this particular task, which is what actually governs the errand during which the accident occurred.
  3. X is liable because party was organized by him: This gives a reason that is too broad, merely hosting the party is not what created the employment relationship, it was the direct instruction and promised payment for the specific errand that did.
  4. Caterer is liable as Y is his employee: Y's general employment with the caterer does not cover this specific task, since Y was acting on X's direct instruction and for X's promised payment, outside the caterer's control, at the time of the accident.

Testing each option against who directed and paid Y for the actual errand, rather than against Y's general employer or the fact that X hosted the party, leaves only the option finding X liable for the course of employment he created.

Therefore, the correct answer is X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X.

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