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, the 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.

• A. X is liable as Y was working in the course of employment offered by X
• B. X is not liable as Y is not his employee
• C. X is liable because party was organized by him
• D. Caterer is liable as Y is his employee

Hint:

Employers can be held liable for injuries caused to employees if the injury occurs while performing tasks assigned by the employer during the course of employment.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

According to the principle, the employer is responsible for injuries caused to the employee while they are performing duties in the course of their employment. In this case, Y, who is working as an employee of the caterer, was carrying out duties in connection with the party organized by X. Since Y was asked by X to fetch a mechanic and was on the way to do that when the accident occurred, this was a task given to Y as part of his duties for X. Thus, the employer (X) is liable for the injury sustained by Y during the course of employment.
Therefore, the correct answer is (A).
Option (B) is incorrect because, although Y is not directly employed by X, he was performing a task assigned by X. Option (C) is incorrect because the liability stems from Y performing his duties under X's instructions, not simply because the party was organized by X. Option (D) is incorrect because the caterer may not be liable in this case, as Y's actions were directed by X.