Vicarious liability is a form of secondary strict liability arises due to the
commission or omission of others under the common law doctrine of agency "The
Respondeat superior " in which the superior liable for their inferior in other
words responsibility of any third party that had their control or ability to
control . The liability is not only on the Tortfeasor but on someone who have
duty to control on the tortfeasor.
Common form of vicarious liability is liability arising out of master sarvent
relationship refered to the doctrine "Respondeat superior" The principal means
that the master is jonitly liable for the tort comitted by servant in course of
employment .
Clause (1) of article of 300 of the Constitution provides first that the
government of India may sue or sued by the name of union of India and the
government of state may be sue or sued by the name of the state . secondally
that the government of India or the government of state may sue or be sued in
the relation to their respective affairs in the like cases as the Dominion of
India and the corresponding provinces or the corresponding India states might
have sued or be sued "If this Constitution had not been enacted "and thirdly
that the second mentioned rule shall be subject to any provisons.
It was impossible by the reason of maxim "The king can do no wrong" to sue the
crown for the Tortious act of its servant But it was realized in the United
Kingdom that that had rule became outmoded in the context of modern development
in statecraft and parliament intervened by enacting the crown proceeding Act,
1947 which came into force on January1,1948 Hence the very citedal of the
absolute rule of immunity of the sovereign has now been blown up. Section 2(1)
of the act provides that the crown shall be subject to all those liabliti. in
tort to which it would be subject if the other provisions of this act.
Vicarious Liability
Vicarious liability is a tortitous liability, imposed on employer tort
comitted by the employee. It is an extereme form of strict liability , where a
person is liable even through he is not a tortfeasor. there are three main
requirements to establish vicarious liability:
- Tortfeasor is an employee
- Commits the tort in course of employment
- Tort is committed
Who is an employee:
The oldest test to determine who is an employee is the control test and the test
is wheather the master has a right to control what was done and the way in which
it was done via system vs Thermal transfer where he claimant contracted with the
first defendant (D1) to install air condition.
D1 sub contracted with second defandant (D2) to carry out ducting work, D2 then
hired D3 to do the fitting. Due to negligence on the part of D3 damage was done
to the property . The court was called upon to determine whether it is D1 or D2
that is liable for the negligence of D3.
Held:
In reaching this decision may LJ held that the court should concentrate on whose
responsiblity it was to prevent the breach and not whether there was a transfer
of employment , which would depend on who has the power to give orders and tell
D3 how he carry out his work. On this basis the court found D2 and D3 jointly
and vicariously liable for the negligence.
Applying the civil liablities (Contribution) Act 1978 the court held that the
respective liablity of D2 and D3 are equal. therefore they are ordered to pay
50% each.
Sovereign Immunity
The legal doctorine of sovereign Immunity holds the state or sovereign' can
commit no legal wrong and is immune from civil suits and criminal prosecution.
It is derived from the British common law principal, "Rex nonpotest peccare "
Which means that "The king can do no wrong"
In
Maneka Gandhi v/s Union Of India , the high court held that since the
statutory concept of sovereign immunity could not be Override the constitutional
provisons , the claim for violation of fundamental rights could not be violate
by statutory immunities On appeal by the state , the supreme Court dismissed the
appeal and ruled.
The maxim that king can do no wrong or that the crown is not answerable in tort
has no place in Indian jurisprudence where the power vests , not in the crown ,
but in the people who elect their representatives to run the government. which
has to act in accordance with provisons of the Constitution and would be
answerable to the people for any violation thereof .
Since time immemorial man has been attempting to subjugate his fellow human
beings Those in power are used to twisting and turning the people through
violence and torture , and torture under custody has become a gobal phenomenon.
This provison of immunity is important for the public servants and judicial
officers Considering the nature of their duties and to protect them from the
false allegations induced upon them from the acts done by them under the
authority of the law . but instead , Grave human rights abuses occurs because
officers have little reason to fear any legal consequence and this public
officials are able to crush , dissent , and abrogate the rule of law in name of
sovereign duty .
De Facto creates a framework of impunity that condones violations of human right
and it is important to recognise that this provison affects not only citizen's
fundamental rights, but also society as a whole , thereby damaging democracy.
section 197 of crpc states that, when any person who is or was a judge or
Magistrate or a public servant not removable from his office save by or with the
sanctions of government is accused of any offence alleged to have been comitted
by him while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his officials duty
, no court shall take cognizance of such offence except with the previous
sanction.
Here, the word " during the discharge of officials duty "becomes utmost
important. The scope of 197 was summned up by the supreme Court in Matajong
Dobey vs HC.
Under the English Evolved law, the saying was "The Ruler can do no wrong" and
so, the Ruler was freed from responsibility for the wrongs of allure attendants.
But, in England, the position outdated Evolved law saying has happened exchanged
by the Crown Procedures Act, 1947. Former, the Ruler commit not be sued in crime
either for wrong actually approved by it or dedicated by allure assistants,
concurrently with an activity employment.
Accompanying the growing functions of State, sovereignty Procedures Act had
existed passed, immediately sovereignty is open for a crime dedicated by its
assistants just like a private individual. Likewise, in Western hemisphere, the
Combined Torts Claims Act,1946 supplies the principles, that essentially ends
the question of burden of State.
Position of vicarious liability in acts of police officials
Under the English Evolved law, the saying was "The Ruler can do no wrong" and
so, the Ruler was freed from responsibility for the wrongs of allure attendants.
But, in England, the position outdated Evolved law saying has happened exchanged
by the Crown Procedures Act, 1947. Former, the Ruler commit not be sued in crime
either for wrong actually approved by it or dedicated by allure assistants,
concurrently with an activity employment.
Accompanying the growing functions of State, sovereignty Procedures Act had
existed passed, immediately sovereignty is open for a crime dedicated by its
assistants just like a private individual. Likewise, in Western hemisphere, the
Combined Torts Claims Act,1946 supplies the principles, that essentially ends
the question of burden of State.
Case related to vicarious liability of state in acts of police officials:
Gopal Gangaram Kothavale vs The State Of Maharashtra on 17 March, 2005
The highest court of law has not conventional the print fatigued by DILR
bestowing exact calculations. The distance proved in the pronounced outline has
existed noticed afterwards literally communicable calculations but the alike was
not established apiece highest court of law on the ground that that outline was
tense 15 months following in position or time the occurrence ambiguous and, so,
the exact position or area place the dead frames were establish keep not have
happened situated.
This is inspite of the experience that patrolman PW 16, the one was present
concurrently with an activity of illustration of the spot panchanama. and the
one was more resting skilled all the while the midnight occasion of the
occurrence protecting the mortal remains of Remi and place of occurrence, was
present . when the DILR deputy had happened to the spot for illustration the
plan and copy of the spot panchanama was created accessible to the DILR deputy
to experience the neighborhoods place the dead carcasses were raise.
Even the blamed were present before. In this place respect confidence was
established for someone the pursuit on day of reckoning of the Highest federal
court in the case of Santa claus
Singh v. State of Punjab. In the
pronounced doom it was grasped that if the draftsman is requested to gird a
sketch plan of the place of incident, and if later verifying from the witnesses
place particularly the attacker.
And the fatality endured concurrently with an activity of the commission of the
offence and the draftsman measures the distance middle from two points two
together places and prepares the plan aforementioned plan concede possibility be
relied in the Court a suggestion of choice another plan adapted apiece Lawman
Substitute Examiner.On account of plan the distance proved betwixt the families
of the blamed and the place of offence is about 838 extremities.
It wealth the pronounced distance is proved following in position or time
attractive real calculations. As against that the highest court of law has
chosen to go for one approximate distance of 400 ft. noticed in the spot
panchanama for one lawman. Even the witnesses have likely various distances in
their evidence that is noticed in the depositions as approximate distances.
Few of the witnesses have likely distance of 550 ft. betwixt the apartments of
the blamed and the place of offence but either the distance 'tween the
apartments of the blamed and the place of occurrence is 400 ft. or 800 ft. would
create no various. It is not debatable that from the buildings of the blamed the
horizon of hissa Rejection. 3 and 3 is about 50 ft. continuously
Conclusion
In this research project we have explored the concept of for tortious
liabilities. Case laws like
Rookes v. Barnard was taken into
consideration to the understand the scope of awarding exemplary damages in the
law of torts. The BMW v. Gore case laid down three guidelines for the
computation of exemplary damages.
In India the
Uphaar case showcases the apprehension of the Supreme Court
to award exemplary damages in torts and the quantum of punishment awarded in
this case was absent of the reprehensibility factor that was proposed in the BMW
v. Gore case. The thumb rule exemplified by the Delhi High court in the
Koninlijke case offers a solution to the uncertainity in the award of damages in
the law of torts.
The 3rd and the 4th rule of the chart that was prepared by the judges can be
uniformly used for all kinds of tortious liabilities and the judgement declares
that the thumb rule are not static and can be altered accordingly by the judges.
We also considered applying the investment and the multiplication rule for the
computation of damages but although these rules offer some form of benefits in
the computation of exemplary damages, they have significant disadvantages and
therefore cannot be considered a reliable method for the purpose of calculation
of damages.
We also evaluated the treble damages in detail and while the rule offers
predictability, its very nature goes against the principles that were explored
in the
Grimshaw v. Ford Motors case and can therefore not be considered
as an efficient method of computing damages in the law of torts.
It is advisable for the courts to use the thumb rule propounded in the
Koninlijke case for the calculation for exemplary damages in the law of
torts. The courts should also take into consideration the three guidelines laid
down in the BMW v. Gore case while computing the damages, the awards should not
be arbitrary so as to go against the public policy and it should not be low
enough to not be considered adequate to serve the purpose of justice.
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