Question

Apply the given legal principles to the facts provided in the following of the question and select the most appropriate answer.
Principle 1 : A ‘bailment’ is the delivery of goods by one person to another for some purpose, upon a contract that they shall, when the purpose is accomplished, be returned. The person delivering the goods is called the ‘bailor’. The person to whom they are delivered is called the ‘bailee’.
Principle 2 : In all cases of bailment the bailee is bound to take as much care of the goods bailed to him/her as a person of ordinary prudence would, under similar circumstances, take of his/her own goods of the same bulk, quantity and value as the goods bailed.
Facts : Aparna entered into a contract with Gagan to keep her goods in his warehouse until she was able to find a suitable buyer for them. Gagan kept his own goods also at the same warehouse. One night, certain thieves entered the warehouse and stole the goods of both Gagan and Aparna. It was discovered that even though Gagan had locked the main door, he had carelessly left the windows open and that the thieves had entered through the open windows. Aparna sued Gagan for damages as Gagan had failed to take due care of her goods. Decide.

• A. Gagan is liable since he left the windows open which shows that he did not take as much care as a person of ordinary prudence
• B. Gagan is not liable since he took as much care of Aparna’s goods as he took of his own goods
• C. Gagan is not liable since he locked the door and a person of ordinary prudence cannot be expected to check the windows as well
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

To determine Gagan's liability, we apply the given legal principles.
Principle 1: Bailment involves delivering goods to another person, a Bailee, for a specific purpose, and the Bailee must return the goods once the purpose is fulfilled.
Principle 2: In bailment cases, the Bailee is obligated to take care of the goods similarly to how a person of ordinary prudence would handle their own goods of equivalent bulk, quantity, and value.
Facts Analysis:
Aparna, the Bailor, entrusted her goods to Gagan, the Bailee, for storage until she found a buyer. Gagan stored his own goods in the same warehouse. However, Gagan was careless by leaving the windows open, despite locking the main door. Thieves accessed the warehouse through these open windows, stealing both Aparna's and Gagan's goods.
Conclusion: Gagan's failure to secure the windows, despite taking measures to lock the door, demonstrates negligence. He did not act as a person of ordinary prudence because a prudent person would reasonably close both doors and windows to prevent theft.
Thus, according to the principles, Gagan is liable for damages as he did not ensure the same level of care for Aparna's goods as expected from a person of ordinary prudence under similar circumstances.
Correct Answer: Gagan is liable since he left the windows open which shows that he did not take as much care as a person of ordinary prudence.