REPORTABLE

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 8611 OF 2019

(Arising out of S.L.P. (Civil) No. 11213 of 2018)

Taj Mahal Hotel ...Appellant

Versus

United India Insurance Company Ltd.

& Ors. …Respondents

J U D G M E N T

MOHAN M. SHANTANAGOUDAR, J.

1.Leave granted.

2.This appeal, by special leave, arises out of judgment dated

05.02.2018 passed by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal

Commission (‘National Commission’) dismissing the appeal

against order dated 29.01.2016 passed by the State Consumer

Disputes Redressal Commission (‘State Commission’), New Delhi

in Complaint Case No. 198/1999.

3.The following are the facts out of which this appeal arises:

1

3.1. On the night of 01.08.1998, at around 11 p.m., Respondent

No. 2 herein (Complainant No. 2) visited the Appellant-hotel in his

Maruti Zen car. While the car was insured with Respondent No. 1

herein (Complainant No. 1), the Appellant-hotel had taken a non-

industrial risk insurance/liability policy from Respondent No. 3.

Upon reaching the hotel, Respondent No. 2 handed over his car

and its keys to the hotel valet for parking, and then went inside

the hotel. The parking tag handed over to him read inter alia:

“IMPORTANT CONDITION: This vehicle is being parked

at the request of the guest at his own risk and

responsibility in or outside the Hotel premises. In the

event of any loss, theft or damage, the management

shall not be held responsible for the same and the

guest shall have no claim whatsoever against the

management.”

When Respondent No. 2 came out of the hotel at about 1

a.m., he was informed that his vehicle had been driven away by

another person. Upon enquiry with the security officer, he found

that three young boys had come to the hotel in their separate car,

parked it, and gone inside the hotel. After some time, they came

out and asked the valet to bring their car to the porch. During this

process, one of the boys, one Deepak, picked up the keys of the

car of Respondent No. 2 from the desk, went to the car parking,

2

and stole the Maruti Zen car. Though the security guard tried to

stop him, he sped away. A complaint was lodged with the police,

but the car remained untraced.

3.2. Respondent No. 1 (car insurer) settled the insurance claim

raised by Respondent No. 2 (car owner) in respect of the stolen

car for Rs. 2,80,000. Thereafter, Respondent No. 2 executed a

Power of Attorney (‘POA’) and a letter of subrogation in favour of

Respondent No. 1. They both then approached the State

Commission by filing a complaint against the Appellant-Hotel

seeking payment of the value of the car and compensation for

deficiency in service.

3.3. Relying upon this Court’s decision in Oberoi Forwarding

Agency v. New India Assurance Company Limited,

1

the State

Commission dismissed the complaint on the ground that an

insurance company acting as a subrogee cannot qualify as a

‘consumer’. Hence, Respondent No. 1 filed an appeal before the

National Commission.

3.4. Notably, Oberoi was partly overruled by a subsequent

decision of a Constitution Bench of this Court in Economic

1

(2000) 1 SCR 554.

3

Transport Organisation v. Charan Spinning Mills (Pvt.)

Ltd.

2

In light of this change in law, by order dated 20.09.2010,

the National Commission in appeal remanded the complaint back

to the State Commission, observing that Respondent No. 1 (car

insurer) had locus standi to file the complaint.

3.5. Deciding on merits, the State Commission relied on the

decisions of the National Commission in Bombay Brazzerie v.

Mulchand Agarwal

3

and B. Dutta, Senior Advocate v.

Management of State

4

to hold that laws of bailment apply when

a customer pays to park his car in a parking lot and it is then

stolen or damaged. It was noted that the price paid for food

consumed in the hotel would include consideration for a contract

of bailment from the consumer (bailor) to the hotel (bailee).

Applying this to the facts of this case, the State Commission

observed that though the Appellant-hotel had averred that

Respondent No. 2 had not had dinner at the hotel that night, it

was improbable for him to have stayed inside the hotel from 11

p.m. to 1 a.m. without consuming any food or snacks or paying

2

(2010) 4 SCC 114.

3

(2002) NCDRC 42.

4

(2010) 1 CPC 319.

4

any kind of bill. Hence, the State Commission proceeded on the

assumption that Respondent No. 2 had paid consideration for the

contract.

In light of this, the State Commission allowed the complaint

and directed the Appellant-hotel to pay Respondent No. 1 a sum

of Rs. 2,80,000 (the value of the car) with interest at 12% per

annum and Rs. 50,000 as litigation costs. In addition to this, it

directed payment of Rs. 1,00,000 to Respondent No. 2 for

inconvenience and harassment faced by him. The State

Commission also held that Respondent No. 3 (insurer of the hotel)

would not be liable to indemnify the loss caused to the Appellant-

hotel, as the theft of the car had not been notified to it within due

time.

3.6. Appeal filed against this order by the Appellant herein was

disposed of vide the impugned judgment. On the question of

locus standi of Respondent No. 1 (subrogee) to file the complaint,

the National Commission observed that its earlier order dated

20.09.2010 (supra) had not been challenged, and had

consequently attained finality. Hence, it was held that the

5

Appellant could not argue that Respondent No. 1 (car insurer) did

not have locus standi.

The National Commission further applied the principle of

infra hospitium (Latin for ‘within the hotel’) and observed that

common law has historically imposed strict liability on a hotel for

the loss of a guest’s property if the guest and the property were

within the hotel premises. It was noted that once the guest

presents the car keys to the valet and possession of the car is

transferred from the guest to the hotel, a relationship of bailment

is established. Relying on various decisions by foreign Courts on

strict liability for property kept infra hospitium, the National

Commission held that the liability of a hotel cannot be precluded

by a printed notice on the parking tag disclaiming liability.

Consequently, the appeal against the order of the State

Commission was dismissed, although the interest awarded was

modified from 12% per annum to 9% per annum. Hence, the

present appeal.

4.Learned Senior Counsel for the Appellant made submissions

on two fronts. With respect to the locus standi of Respondent No.

1, he argued that Respondent No. 1 does not qualify as a

6

‘consumer’. On merits, he vehemently submitted that the

decision of the National Commission is erroneous inasmuch the

principle of infra hospitium is not established under Indian law. He

further relied on the decisions in Bombay Brazzerie and B.

Datta to argue that a bailment necessarily exists under a

contract, the terms of which are encapsulated in the parking tag

in this case. Since the liability for theft is specifically precluded

under the terms stated on the parking tag, he submitted that the

Appellant cannot be held liable.

5.Per contra, Counsel for Respondent No. 1 submitted that it is

entitled to file a joint complaint with the original consumer in its

capacity as a subrogee. Further, he relied on Klaus

Mittelbachert v. East India Hotels Ltd.

5

and Hotel Hyatt

Regency v. Atul Virmani,

6

to argue that the duty of care owed

by 5-star hotels is higher, and the Appellant must therefore be

subject to the highest standard of insurer liability in case of theft

of goods from its premises.

6.Heard learned Counsel for both parties.

5

AIR 1997 Del 201.

6

III (2008) CPJ 281 (NC).

7

7.At this juncture, it is pertinent to note that the compensation

awarded by the State Commission (including interest) has already

been paid by the Appellant to Respondent Nos. 1 and 2. Thus, we

are only concerned with the questions of law involved in the

matter. Based on a perusal of the record, the following issues

arise for consideration in the present appeal:

First, whether the insurer had locus standi to file the

complaint as a subrogee?;

Second, whether the Appellant-hotel can be held liable for

the theft of a car taken for valet parking, under the laws of

bailment or otherwise?;

Third, if the second question is answered in the affirmative,

what is the degree of care required to be taken by the Appellant-

Hotel?; and

Fourth, whether the Appellant-hotel can be absolved of

liability by virtue of a contract?

We will be adverting to each of these in turn.

I. COMPLAINT FILED BY INSURER AS A SUBROGEE

8

8.It has been settled by a Constitution Bench of this Court in

Economic Transport Organisation (supra) that even though a

consumer complaint filed by an insurer in its own name is not

maintainable, a complaint filed by the insurer acting as a

subrogee is maintainable if it is filed by:

i) the insurer in the name of the assured, wherein the insurer

acts as the attorney holder of the assured; or

ii) the insurer and the assured as co-complainants.

9.In the instant case, Respondent No. 2 (actual

consumer/assured) had executed a POA and a letter of

subrogation in favour of Respondent No. 1 (car insurer).

Consequently, the complaint before the State Commission was

filed by Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 as co-complainants. Hence, both

the conditions are squarely applicable to this case and the

complaint is maintainable.

10. Having considered the maintainability of the complaint, we

now proceed to examine the liability of the Appellant-hotel for

theft of the vehicle of Respondent No. 2.

II. LIABILITY OF HOTELS FOR THEFT OR LOSS OF VEHICLES OF

GUESTS

9

11. The liability of hotel owners or innkeepers (as they were

traditionally called) for the loss of, or damage to goods of their

guest has been a subject of judicial consideration for a long time.

Though the issue has come up before this Court for the first time

in this case, it has received ample judicial and academic attention

in other common law jurisdictions. Thus, we find it appropriate to

allude to this jurisprudence for a comparative context to the legal

issue at hand. Though other jurisdictions have dealt with the

liability of innkeepers with respect to goods or property of the

guests in general, we will be confining our discussion to vehicles

of guests, as the present case is concerned with the same.

12. Broadly, two approaches have been taken towards the

liability of an innkeeper for loss or damage to the vehicles of his

guest

7

– first, the common law rule of insurer’s liability wherein

the innkeeper is treated as an insurer and made responsible for

any loss or damage to the vehicle of its guest, regardless of the

presence or absence of negligence on his part (‘the common law

rule’); and second, the rule of prima facie negligence wherein the

innkeeper is presumed to be liable for loss or damage to the

7

John E. H. Sherry, The Laws of Innkeepers: For Hotels, Motels,

and Restaurants (3

rd

edn, Cornell University Press 1993) 415-417.

10

vehicle of his guest, but can exclude his liability by proving that

the loss did not occur due to any fault or negligence on his part

(‘prima facie liability rule’).

A.Common law Rule

13. At common law, innkeepers were held strictly liable for the

loss of or damage to a guest’s horse or carriage placed within the

confines of the inn, i.e. infra hospitium. They were excused from

liability only if the loss or damage occurred by an act of God, an

act of the public enemy, or the fault or negligence of the guest

himself.

8

13.1. The earliest recorded opinion discussing this rule is

Dickerson v. Rogers,

9

where the Supreme Court of Tennessee

State (USA) held the innkeeper liable for injury caused to a horse

brought by the guest and placed in the stable of the inn. Citing

English common law, the Court noted as follows:

“It is laid down by Chancellor Kent (2 Com. 593), upon

the authority of the English cases, that an innkeeper is

bound to keep safe the goods of his guest deposited

within the inn, except where the loss is occasioned by

inevitable casualty, or by superior force, as robbery.

And Mr. Justice Story says (Law of Bailments, 306, sec.

8

Joseph James Hemphling, ‘Innkeeper’s Liability at Common Law

and Under the Statutes’ (1929) 4(7) Notre Dame Law Review 421, 422.

9

4 Humph 179 (1843).

11

470) that an innkeeper is bound to take, not ordinary

care only, but uncommon care of the goods and

baggage of his guests. If, therefore, the goods or

baggage of his guest are damaged in his inn, or are

stolen from it by his servants or domestics, or by

another guest, he is bound to make restitution…

…If this rule was not inflexibly enforced, no traveller

would be safe in entrusting his horse to the hands of

the inn-keeper until he had first inspected his stables,

and selected a place for his horse to be kept, an

inconvenience which could not be endured.”

13.2. The imposition of such strict liability was dictated by the

conditions of the time. It emerged in a context where inns were

intended to provide a safe haven to travelers against bands of

marauders and robbers. However, the popular prejudice was that

innkeepers would collude with such persons to rob the guests of

their properties.

10

Given the vulnerability of travelers to robbery

and violence in such a setting, the judges fashioned the strict

liability rule to allow travelers to recover from innkeepers without

the need to prove fault. This is well-captured in the following

observations made in Dickerson (supra):

“…rigorous as this rule may seem, and hard as its

operation may be in a few instances, it is founded on

the great principle of public utility, to which all private

considerations ought to yield. “For” as Sir William Jones

10

Wayne Quinton, ‘Liability for Automobile Parking at Hotels: The

Tennessee Case Abstract’ (1992) 16(1) Hospitality Research Journal 109, 110;

Sylvan H. Hirsch, ‘Limited Liability of Innkeepers Under Statutory Regulations’

(1928) 76 University of Pennsylvania Law Review 272.

12

justly observes (Bailments, 95), “travellers who are

most numerous in a rich and commercial country, are

obliged to rely almost implicitly on the good faith of

innkeepers, whose education and morals are none of

the best, and who might have frequent opportunities of

association with ruffians and pilferers, while the injured

guest would seldom or never obtain legal proof of such

combinations, or even of their negligence, if no actual

fraud had been committed by them.””

13.3. As the horse and buggy gave way to modern

transportation including automobiles and motor vehicles, the

common law rule of strict liability was extended to them. In Aria

v. Bridge House Hotel (Staines) Ltd.,

11

it was further held that

the insurance liability of an innkeeper for the goods of his guest

also applied to automobiles parked in a space adjoining the hotel,

upon directions given by the porter. Since the car of the plaintiff

in that case had been parked in such a manner and was stolen

while he was dining at the hotel, the defendant hotel was held

liable.

13.4. English Courts as well as some jurisdictions in the United

States continued to apply the strict liability principle for vehicles

of guests through the first half of the 20

th

century.

12

In England,

11

(1927) 137 LT 299. See John H. Sherry, ‘The Innkeeper’s

Liability for Automobiles and Their Contents’ (Aug 1964)

<https://doi.org/10.1177/001088046400500202> accessed 2 November 2019.

12

See Park-O-Tell Co. v. Roskamp, 203 Okla. 493, 223, P.2d 375

(1950); Abercrombie v. Edwards, 62 Okla. 54, 161 P. 1084 (Okla. 1916).

13

this was partly possible as the Innkeeper’s Liability Act of 1863

did not exclude or limit the innkeeper’s liability for motor vehicles.

The high point of English case law on this point came with the

decision in Williams v. Linnitt,

13

where the Court held the

innkeeper strictly liable for theft of the car of a guest who had

parked it in an open lot provided free of charge. The Court noted

that the provision of free parking space was an invitation to the

guest to park there, which was sufficient to constitute the lot as

being infra hospitium. Notably, liability was imposed despite a

notice in the car park stating that the innkeeper would not be

liable for loss or damage to any vehicle or goods therein. The

following observations of Asquith L.J. are noteworthy:

“The most material facts in this case are that the area,

being an area contiguous to the inn, is one in which the

guest with a motor car is invited to leave it; that there

is no evidence that any other accommodation

belonging to the inn is provided for cars, though a

garage was marked as being in the neighbourhood of

the inn on a plan which was not agreed or proved; and

that it is part of the innkeeper's normal business to

provide for guests who arrive in cars. These

circumstances are very strong evidence that the area is

within the "hospitium", and, as I read the judgment, the

judge has so found.

13

Williams v. Linnitt, 1 ALL E.R. 278 (Eng. 1951).

14

If I am wrong in thinking that the question is

substantially one of fact, I consider that the conclusion

which the judge has reached on this point is the right

legal inference from the circumstances referred to, and,

if his conclusion is right, the strict liability attached and

could not, in my view, be displaced by such notice as

was put up in the car park, which, incidentally, would

be quite invisible at 9 p.m. on a February night. For

these reasons, and those given by my Lord, I agree that

the appeal, though very attractively argued, should be

dismissed.”

13.5. However, with increasing commercial development, the

conditions in which the common law liability of innkeepers

originated began fading away. Mindful of these changes, in 1954,

the Law Reform Commission in England recommended that the

extent of absolute liability of innkeepers be reduced. It observed

that the most serious hardships due to the strict liability rule

occurred with respect to motor vehicles, since these cases were

often a battle between two insurance companies. Recognising the

increasing burden of liability as in cases such as Williams v.

Linnitt (supra), the Committee recommended that liability should

only be imposed when the innkeeper is negligent.

14

14

L.J. Blom-Cooper, ‘Second Report of the Law Reform Committee

on the Law of Innkeepers’ Liabilities for Property of Travellers, Guests, and

Residents (May 1954)’ (Jul 1955) 18(4) The Modern Law Review 374, 376.

15

13.6. These recommendations were eventually given effect with

the introduction of the Hotel Proprietors Act, 1956, which

continues to remain in force in the United Kingdom till date. The

Act is significant, as it was the first time that the strict liability of

hotels in relation to vehicles of their guests was considered. While

it retains strict liability of hotel proprietors in respect of guest’s

property in certain circumstances, it specifically excludes

motorcars and other vehicles of any kind as well as property left

in them.

15

In effect, the application of the common law strict

liability has been limited by this legislation, in recognition of the

unfair burden placed on the innkeepers.

13.7. A study of the law in other jurisdictions reveals that the

unlimited common law liability of innkeepers with respect to

vehicles has been similarly restricted by legislation. In Singapore,

the Innkeeper’s Act of 1921 specifically excludes horse, live

animals, a car or carriage from the purview of strict liability.

Likewise, several states in Australia (including Victoria and New

South Wales) have excluded motor vehicles and their contents

from the liability of innkeepers, recognizing that this is a well-

15

Hotel Proprietors Act 1956, s 2(2) (United Kingdom).

16

established exception to the innkeeper’s liability.

16

Arguably, this

limitation has been on the basis of the availability of travel

insurance for motor vehicles, and the absence of any undue

burden thereby falling on the guest. This exception is also

recognized in the Convention on the Liability of Hotel-keepers

concerning the Property of their Guests, which applies to several

members of the European Union. Under the Convention, no form

of strict liability has been fastened with respect to vehicles, any

property left in vehicles, or to live animals.

17

13.8. While the exception has increasingly been adopted in

these jurisdictions, some states in the United States, such as

Oklahoma and Utah, continue to apply the strict rule of insurance

liability to an innkeeper with respect to goods kept infra

hospitium.

18

At the same time, other States have attempted to

balance the interests of hotel owners and guests by adopting the

relatively moderate prima facie liability rule, which we will now

discuss.

B. Prima facie liability Rule

16

Innkeepers Act 1968, s 6(a) (New South Wales); Carriers and

Innkeepers Act 1958, s 29(a) (Victoria).

17

Annex to the Convention on the Liability of Hotel-Keepers

concerning the Property of their Guests, Article 7 (Paris, 1962).

18

Sherry, supra note 11.

17

14. Though there has been a shift away from the common law

insurer’s rule with respect to vehicles of guests, this has not

meant that legislatures have completely absolved hotel owners of

liability. Instead, they have adopted an approach where the hotel

owner/proprietor is held responsible only for those losses that

occur as a result of his negligence. Under this rule, the hotel

owner is presumed to be liable for loss or damage to the vehicle

of the guest upon his failure to return the same. However, he has

an opportunity to exonerate himself by proving that the loss did

not arise due to negligence or fault on his part or that of his

servants. The rationale for adopting this approach is well-

explained in Laird v. Eichold:

19

“Innkeepers, on grounds of public policy, are held to a

strict accountability for the goods of their guests. The

interests of the public, we think, are sufficiently

subserved, by holding the innkeeper prima facie liable

for the loss or injury of the goods of his guest; thus

throwing the burden of proof upon him, to show that

the injury or loss happened without any default

whatever on his part, and that he exercised the

strictest care and diligence. And it is more in

accordance with the principles of natural justice, to

permit him to exonerate himself by making such proof,

than to shut the door against him, and hold him

responsible for an accident happening entirely without

19

10 Ind. 212 (1858).

18

his default, and against which strict care and prudence

would not guard.”

(emphasis supplied)

14.1. Today, this rule is prevalent in several jurisdictions in the

United States including Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland,

Texas, and Vermont,

20

as well as in other common law

jurisdictions where strict liability for vehicles has been excluded

by statute.

14.2. In most States, the liability is predicated on the existence

of a bailment relationship between the guest and the hotel

owner.

21

Where a contract of bailment can be said to exist, the

mere failure to deliver the vehicle, or its redelivery in a damaged

condition, constitutes a prima facie case against the bailee (hotel

owner). He must then bring forth evidence to show that the loss

was not caused by his negligence.

C. Position in India

15. In the backdrop of the aforementioned two approaches

adopted in other jurisdictions, we will now examine the relevant

provisions under Indian law and the approach that should be

20

Sherry, supra note 7, at 417.

21

Sherry, supra note 11.

19

adopted in the Indian context in respect of liability of hotel owners

for loss of or damage to vehicles of their guests.

15.1. Notably, we have not found any instances where Indian

courts have applied the common law rule of insurer’s strict

liability upon a hotel owner. It appears that the impugned

judgment of the National Commission is the first time that the

principle of strict liability for vehicles infra hospitium was read in

and applied in the Indian context.

15.2. From an examination of the underlying rationales for each

of the approaches, we find that the imposition of strict liability for

loss or damage to vehicles of guests is overly burdensome in

today’s context. The strict liability rule had emerged in an age

and time where travel was rare and tourism was virtually non-

existent, thereby prompting Courts to hold hotel owners liable so

as to protect the interests of the guests. However, in today’s

context of economies with well-established hotel industries and

mandatory insurance of vehicles owned by guests, there has been

a trend across jurisdictions of moving away from the strict liability

of innkeepers in respect of vehicles of guests.

20

15.3. Keeping in view the change in socio-economic conditions

in India, we do not think it proper to impose a standard of strict

liability upon hotel owners. Due to the growing population and the

parallel economic expansion in the country, hotels and similar

establishments are much more accessible to the public than they

may have been a few decades ago. Hotels have also launched

diversified services to keep up with changing times and to meet

growing competition from alternate hospitality ventures. Hence, a

person may frequent hotels for limited periods of time for

purposes other than residing as a guest in the rooms. For

example, a person may visit a hotel for business meetings,

conferences, weddings, dinner outings, and so on. In all such

situations, if the hotel is made strictly liable for the safety of

vehicles of these persons without proof of negligence on its part,

it may lead to grave injustice. Given the growing number of

visitors, hotels cannot be expected to maintain surveillance of

each and every vehicle parked on their premises at all times.

16. At the same time, it is true that persons visiting hotels and

parking their cars in their premises or under valet parking, cannot

be left at the mercy of hotel owners. It is essential to balance the

21

interests of hotel owners and guests, and we find that the prima

facie liability rule strikes this balance without placing undue

burden on either of the parties. The fact that guests are already

protected by virtue of insurance of their vehicles tips the scale in

favour of adopting a relatively moderate approach. Thus, given

that the prima facie liability rule is premised on the existence of a

bailment relationship, in cases where such a relationship is found

to exist between the hotel and its guest, the rule should be

applied in respect of vehicles so bailed to the hotel.

Notably, this is also the approach that has found mention

under Indian law. The general rule has been that in a contract of

bailment, if goods are lost or damaged while in the possession of

the bailee, he will be liable. The burden of proof will be on the

bailee to show that he took a reasonable degree of care in respect

of the bailed goods (See N.R. Srinivasa Iyer v. New India

Assurance Co. Ltd.

22

). This is because there is an implicit

expectation between the hotel and the guest when a vehicle is

handed over for valet parking that the vehicle would be taken

reasonable care of, and returned in a proper condition. Thus, the

22

AIR 1983 SC 899.

22

failure to return the vehicle strikes at the root of the bailment

relationship and gives rise to a prima facie case of negligence

against the hotel. In our considered opinion, the strict liability rule

under common law is a relic of the past and should not be given

effect in the Indian context. To this extent, we find that the

National Commission has erred in adopting the common law rule

without justifying its choice or without noting the well-recognised

exception in respect of the vehicles of guests.

17.In light of this exposition on the applicability of the prima

facie liability rule in India, we will now examine whether a

bailment relationship exists in the present case for such liability

to be affixed on the Appellant-hotel.

D. Existence of bailment relationship

18. The existence of a contract of bailment often turns on the

degree of control exercised by the prospective bailee over the

property or good in question. In other words, the crucial point to

be considered is whether the custody or possession of the vehicle

is purposefully handed over to the hotel (as is the case with valet

parking) or whether the complainant is merely allowed to park his

car in a parking space or facility. While the laws of bailment apply

23

in the former case, the latter is only a licensor-licensee

relationship where laws of bailment or the prima facie liability rule

cannot be applied.

18.1. In a number of decisions, the National Commission has

held that the manager of a parking facility cannot be held liable

as a ‘bailee’ for loss of vehicles parked therein. In

Commissioner, Corporation of Madras v. S. Alagraj,

23

a 3-

member Bench held that a person who provides parking facility

for a nominal fee does not undertake to ensure the safety of the

vehicle. Later, a 5-member Bench in Rohini Group of Theatres

v. V. Gopalakrishnan

24

relied upon Alagraj (supra) and held

that an attendant in a theatre parking lot who collects a nominal

fee for parking of the vehicle cannot be said to be a bailee, as in

such cases, it cannot be said that the vehicle was ‘delivered’ for

some ‘purpose.’ Hence, the operators of the parking lot would not

be liable for the vehicle going missing.

18.2. However, in our opinion, these decisions do not support

the case of the Appellant, as they relate to situations where the

possession of the vehicle was not purposefully handed over to the

23

I (1996) CPJ 54 (NC)

24

II (1996) CPJ 1 (NC)

24

hotel or management of the parking facility, or their servants. In

the aforementioned cases decided by the National Commission,

the concerned facility had only licensed out its premises for

parking, and left it to the discretion of the vehicle owner as to

where to park the car. In such instances, the manager of the

premises does not undertake the safe return of the vehicle and

there is no ‘parking service’ rendered by the parking facility

operator as such. Rather, it is the owner’s responsibility to find a

suitable parking spot, park the vehicle correctly, return, and take

out the vehicle upon display of the parking token/slip. Hence, in

such situations, it cannot be considered that possession has been

handed over or that a relationship of bailment has been created.

18.3. On the other hand, in a situation where the hotel actively

undertakes to park the vehicle for the owner, keep it in safe

custody and return it upon presentation of a parking slip in a

manner such that the parking of the vehicle is beyond the control

of the owner, a contract of bailment exists. Thus, the hotel would

be liable as a bailee for returning the vehicle in the condition in

which it was delivered. To further elaborate upon this point, we

25

may refer to the following provisions of the Indian Contract Act,

1872 (‘Contract Act’):

“148. ‘Bailment’, ‘bailor’ and ‘bailee’ defined. —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 or

otherwise disposed of according to the directions of the

person delivering them. The person delivering the

goods is called the ‘bailor’. The person to whom they

are delivered is called the ‘bailee’…

149. Delivery to bailee how made.— The delivery to

the bailee may be made by doing anything which has

the effect of putting the goods in the possession of the

intended bailee or of any person authorised to hold

them on his behalf.”

(emphasis supplied)

In view of these provisions, it is clear that in a scenario

where possession of the vehicle is handed over to a hotel

employee for valet parking, it can be said that ‘delivery’ of the

vehicle has been made for the purposes of Section 148 and 149.

Consequently, a relationship of bailment is created. The parking

token so handed over to the bailor is evidence of a contract, by

which the bailee (hotel) undertakes to park the car and return it in

a suitable condition when the vehicle owner so directs.

18.4. The distinction between a person who leaves his vehicle in

a car park, and a person making delivery of a vehicle for

26

safekeeping has been well-established in common law by the

Court of Appeal in Ashby v. Tolhurst.

25

In this case, the plaintiff

parked his car in a car park owned by the defendants and

received a parking ticket with an “owner’s risk” clause. The car

park attendant allowed another person to take away the car

based upon a mistaken impression that the thief was the true

owner of the car. The Court of Appeal held that no relationship of

bailment was established, and the defendant was under no

contractual liability to the plaintiffs as:

“It seems to me that reading the document as a whole,

including its own description of itself, namely “Car park

ticket,” it really means no more than this: the holder of

this ticket is entitled to park his car in the Seaway Car

Park, but this does not mean that the proprietors are

going to be responsible for it…If that be the true view,

the relationship was a relationship of licensor and

licensee alone, and that relationship in itself would

carry no obligations on the part of the licensor towards

the licensee in relation to the chattel left there, no

obligation to provide anybody to look after it, no liability

for any negligent act of any person in the employment

of the licensor who happened to be there.

The word “give” in the context quite clearly is not

accurately used. The car is placed upon the ground,

and if the owner came for it he would get into it and

drive it away. There is no question of giving, no

question of physical delivery coming into it at all. It is

not like articles in a railway cloak-room which have to

25

[1937] 2 K.B. 242.

27

be handed out by the cloak-room attendant before the

person claiming them can get them. This is a case

where any one can walk on to the land and get into a

car, and I cannot myself read that one phrase as

evidence of any such delivery as Mr. Cloutman admits

is essential for the success of his case.”

(emphasis supplied)

18.5. Similarly, in Tinsley v. Dudley,

26

the plaintiff went to a

public inn and parked his motorcycle in the premises. No parking

fee was charged, nor was there any attendant to look after the

vehicles. Relying upon Ashby (supra), the Court of Appeal held

that the inn would not be liable:

“But, apart altogether from that point, it seems quite

plain that the decision in this court proceeded upon the

view that one who parks his car in a car park does not

thereby deliver over the possession or custody of the

motor car to the keeper of the park — at any rate in the

absence of some unusual or special circumstances

which did not exist in that case and were not to be

imported by the giving or the terms of the ticket.

It seems to me clear, therefore, that there is no basis

for saying that there was any delivery over to the

defendant, or to any agent of his, of the possession or

custody of the motor-bicycle. There was nobody about,

and it is not suggested that access to the yard was not

available to any who liked to walk in…

…As Romer, L.J., said in Scarborough v. Cosgrove, all

these cases must depend upon their own facts; and it

should not be assumed that in every case in which,

adjoining a public house there is a place provided for

26

[1951] 2 K.B. 19.

28

the leaving or storage of motor cars by patrons of the

house it will follow that the publican is under no

liability. That question will depend on whether, in the

particular case, a contract of bailment comes into

existence or not.”

(emphasis supplied)

18.6. Indian courts have also followed this distinction. In New

India Assurance Co. Ltd. v. Delhi Development Authority,

27

the insurer had filed a civil suit (as subrogee) to recover damages

on account of theft of a truck from the parking facility maintained

by the defendant-authority. While holding that this was a case of

bailment under Sections 148 and 149, the Delhi High Court made

the following pertinent observations:

“6…There is nothing on the record to show that the Idle

Truck Parking Centre was only an open space of land

where licence was being granted to the truck owners to

park their trucks on payment of certain fee without

their being any obligation on the part of the defendants

to look after the safety of the vehicles parked therein…

7…If I may apply the principle of law as laid above, it is

a clear case of bailment and the defendants as bailee

having failed to show having exercised reasonable care

as man of ordinary prudence are liable for the loss of

the truck…

10. Essence of bailment is possession. The possession

of the truck was handed over to the defendants when

the truck was parked in the Parking Centre of the

defendants. The defendants had issued a receipt and

27

AIR 1991 Del 298.

29

charged Rs. 3/- for the safe keeping of the vehicle for a

period of 24 hours. Immediately at that time a contract

of bailment came into being. The defendants as bailee

having failed to deliver the vehicle back to the second

plaintiff within the contracted period and not having

shown to have exercised any prudent care for the

safetly of the truck, are liable for its loss. It is

immaterial if the driver of the truck was also sleeping in

the vehicle. The vehicle could not have been taken out

of the Parking Centre without surrendering the receipt.

This is particularly, so when the plaintiffs have

submitted that the truck was under the charge,

custody, control and possession of the defendants. I

would have certainly agreed with Mr. Amit Chadha,

learned counsel for the defendants, if there was

anything on the record to show that the defendants

were merely collecting a fee for parking and were not to

guard or watch the vehicles parked generally in the Idel

Parking Centre…

…I find, in the present case, the vehicles was parked in

the Truck Parking Centre against a receipt and it was

the duty of the defendants to guard the truck for 24

hours and to deliver the same back to the plaintiff No. 2

within this period. It was not that the defendants had

merely granted a licence to the plaintiff to park the

truck at any open space on a certain fee without there

being any liability on the part of the defendants to look

after the truck for its safe keeping.”

(emphasis supplied)

18.7. In view of the foregoing discussion, we find that the

decision in Bombay Brazzerie (supra) is wrong insofar as the

National Commission observed that the laws of bailment would

apply only when a customer makes a separate payment to park

30

the car in a parking lot. It is not disputed that a contract of

bailment under Section 148 may be gratuitous. In any case, it is

common knowledge that ‘complimentary’ services provided by 5-

star hotels are not actually free-of-cost. These services are

covered by the exorbitant rates charged for renting of rooms,

food, entry fee to lounges and clubs, and so on. It cannot be

denied that valet parking service, even if offered gratuitously,

benefits the hotel. A hotel holding itself out to the public as

providing such a service seeks to pitch it as a value addition to

the experience of a guest and incentives greater foot fall. In fact,

many luxury hotels are located in central urban areas which are

prone to congestion, thereby necessitating valet parking to

protect guests from overcrowding and pollution caused by

haphazard parking of vehicles. In such a setting, the provision of

valet parking offers the hotel an edge over others, as visitors are

generally inclined to accept the invitation of greater convenience

furnished by the hotel, i.e. of having someone else park their

vehicles in a secure place. Therefore, for such cases, there exists

an implied consideration for the contract of bailment created by

virtue of the valet parking service.

31

18.8. Applying this to the instant case, Respondent No. 2 had

given up possession of his car by handing it over to the valet.

Thus, the Appellant-hotel cannot refute the existence of bailment

by contending that its valet parking service was purely

complimentary in nature and that the consumer (bailor) had not

paid for the same. In other words, the existence of a bailment

relationship is clear. In view of this finding, the requisite standard

of care under such a bailment contract merits examination.

III. THE REQUIRED DEGREE OF CARE UNDER BAILMENT

19.Given the existence of a bailment relationship, the failure of

the Appellant to deliver the car to Respondent No. 2 (car-owner),

raises a prima facie case of negligence against it. Thus, the

burden of proof is on the hotel (bailee) to show that efforts were

undertaken by it to take reasonable care of the vehicle bailed,

and that the theft did not occur due to its neglect or misconduct.

20.To ascertain the standard of reasonable care to be taken by

the bailee (hotel) for vehicles parked within its premises, Sections

151 and 152 of the Contract Act are relevant:

“151. Care to be taken by bailee. —In all cases of

bailment the bailee is bound to take as much care of

32

the goods bailed to him as a man of ordinary prudence

would, under similar circumstances, take of his own

goods of the same bulk, quantity and value as the

goods bailed.

152. Bailee when not liable for loss, etc., of thing

bailed.—The bailee, in the absence of any special

contract, is not responsible for the loss, destruction or

deterioration of the thing bailed, if he has taken the

amount of care of it described in section 151.”

20.1. Under Sections 151 and 152, the bailee has a duty to keep

its premises in a condition of safety that would be reasonable to

prevent loss, damage, or theft of the goods of its guests. With

respect to 5-star hotels specifically, we find that the responsibility

to take such measures is higher. Counsel for Respondent No. 1

sought to rely on Klaus Mittelbachert and Hotel Hyatt

Regency (supra) to argue that 5-star hotels should be subject to

the strict liability standard of insurers under common law. Here, it

is crucial to note that Klaus Mittelbachert was in respect of

personal injury caused to the guests on account of negligence by

the hotel. As mentioned supra, such standard cannot be applied

in the context of liability for vehicles of guests. However, we do

agree with the observations of Lahoti J. in Klaus Mittelbachert

that the high prices charged by such hotels imply a relatively

33

higher degree of care as a reasonable person would normally

expect higher quality and safety of the services made available

by such hotels. This is also in consonance with the observations of

the National Commission in Hotel Hyatt Regency (supra) that

five star hotels have a high duty of care for cars parked in their

premises.

20.2. This would mean that it is not sufficient for the hotel to

merely appoint an attendant or security guard who takes the

responsibility of parking the vehicle and keeping the car keys in

his custody until the vehicle owner is inside the hotel premises.

The hotel must take additional steps to guard against situations

which may result in wrongful loss or damage to the car. This

includes, for example, ensuring that the car keys are kept out of

reach of outsiders, that the valet parks the car in a safe location,

that parking spaces which are in the vicinity of the hotel are well-

guarded, that parking spaces inside the hotel (if any) are

reasonably well-maintained and CCTV cameras are installed there

for detecting any suspicious activity, that the car is handed over

only to those who present the parking slip and so on. Needless to

say this is only an illustrative, and not an exhaustive list.

34

20.3. Further, it is relevant to note that Sections 151 and 152 of

the Contract Act do not distinguish between a gratuitous bailee

and a bailee for reward. In Port Swettenham Authority v.

T.W. Wu & Co,

28

the Privy Council commented on Sections 104

and 105 of the Contracts (Malay States) Ordinance of 1950, which

are in pari materia with Sections 151 and 152 of the Contract Act,

as follows:

“It will be observed that these sections apply to all

bailments and make no distinction between bailments

for reward and gratuitous bailments…

…There is no compelling authority that a gratuitous

bailee who fails to return the goods left in his custody is

not obliged to explain why he is not able to return them

and to show that their loss is not due to his failure to

have taken as much care of the goods as a man of

ordinary prudence would have taken of his own goods

in similar circumstances. In any event, a bank, which

offers its customers, in the ordinary course of business,

the service of looking after goods deposited with it, can

hardly be described as a gratuitous bailee. The bank

must realise that were it to refuse a customer such a

service it would probably lose the customer who would

have no difficulty in finding another bank which would

be happy to render the service which is normally

offered by banks to their customers.

However, this may be, in their Lordships' view the

onus is always upon the bailee, whether he be a bailee

for reward or a gratuitous bailee, to prove that the loss

of any goods bailed to him was not caused by any fault

of his or of any of his servants or agents to whom he

entrusted the goods for safe keeping.”

28

[1979] A.C. 580

35

Therefore, it is irrelevant as to how much parking fee was

paid by the consumer, or whether any parking fee was paid at all,

as the duty of care required to be taken by the hotel will be the

same in all circumstances. However, this is not a strict liability

standard insofar as Section 152 excludes the liability of a bailee

for loss or damage of the bailed goods if he is able to show that

he fulfilled the standard of reasonable care under Section 151.

Whether or not such standard of reasonable care was fulfilled will

depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case.

21.Coming to the facts of the instant case, the records show

that the car of Respondent No. 2 was stolen when three young

boys who had parked their car in the Appellant-hotel came out of

the hotel, asked the valet driver to bring their car to the porch,

and one of them then picked up the keys of the car of Respondent

No. 2 from the desk, went to the parking area and stole the car. It

has been stated in the complaint that the thief escaped despite

an attempt by the hotel guard to stop him. Notably, in the written

statement filed by the Appellant-hotel, it has denied negligence

by stating that the guest was aware of the risk of valet parking,

36

which was not a service for safe custody of the vehicle, especially

given the terms printed on the parking tag. Its entire case has

been premised on the exclusion clause in the notice, and not on

the absence of negligent conduct on its part. In fact, there has

been an admission of the fact that one of the three young boys

who had visited the hotel stole the car of Respondent No. 2, while

its keys were under the watch of the valet driver.

As mentioned supra, to meet the requisite standard of care,

the hotel must go beyond appointing an attendant or security

guard and take additional measures to guard against situations

that may result in wrongful loss of or damage to the car of its

guest. Here, the manner in which the car was stolen manifests

that no steps had been taken by the Appellant-hotel to ensure

that car keys were kept outside the reach of outsiders or that the

cars were parked in a safe location with adequate barriers to

verify their owners. In the absence of such measures, the

Appellant has failed to discharge its burden of disproving the

prima facie case of negligence against it. Thus, we find that the

theft of the car of Respondent No. 2 was a result of the

negligence of the Appellant-hotel.

37

IV. EXCLUDING LIABILITY BY CONTRACT

22.Since the parking tag given to Respondent No. 2 stated that

the parking would be at the guest’s own risk, it is to be

considered whether it is open to the Appellant-hotel (bailee) to

contract out his liability for negligence beyond what is already

provided under Section 152 of the Contract Act. In other words,

can the bailee contractually exclude liability for his negligence or

that of his servants?

23.Under Indian law, the seminal decision on this point is that of

a Full Bench of the Madras High Court in Sheik Mahamad

Ravuther v. The British Indian Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.

29

In that case, the plaintiffs alleged that their goods were damaged

on account of the negligence of the defendant shipping company.

The trial court and the lower Appellate Court found that there had

been no negligence on the part of the defendants. However, in

second appeal, though the Division Bench of the High Court

agreed that the defendants were negligent, they differed on

whether the terms of the bill of lading excluded liability for

29

(1909) ILR 32 Mad 95.

38

negligence. Consequently, the case came before the Full Bench

by way of a Letters Patent Appeal.

On facts, Sir Arnold White C.J. and Sankaran Nair J. of the Full

Bench found that the defendant had been negligent and allowed

the appeal, whereas Wallis J. dissented. However, with respect to

the question of whether the bill of lading excluded liability for

negligence, White C.J., and Wallis J. were of the opinion that a

carrier is not exempted from liability for his negligence or that of

his servants, unless such an exemption is made in express terms

through a ‘specific negligence clause’. While holding so, they

noted that such a contractual exemption, if properly made, would

not be contrary to public policy. However, on facts, White C.J.

found that such a specific negligence clause had not been

inserted in the bill of lading. Thus, he allowed the appeal. Placing

significant reliance upon the decision of the King’s Bench in Price

& Co v. Union Lighterage Company, (1903) 1 K.B. 750 while

arriving at this conclusion, he observed that:

“…The view which I take appears to be in accordance

with the decision of the Court of Appeal in Rathbone

Brothers & Co. v. David MacIver Sons & Co. where the

Court holding that the carriers were unable, on the

facts, to claim the benefit of a special proviso relating

39

to unseaworthiness, the carriers were held liable

notwithstanding general words in the bill of lading

which exempted them in the case of injury or default…

…The words “in all cases and under all

circumstances” in the present bill of lading are no

doubt as wide and as general as possible, but the

reiterated use of general words does not of course

exclude the application of the special canons of

construction which a long course of Judicial decisions

has held applicable to the construction of contracts

which purport to relieve a carrier from liability for

negligence. The authorities were discussed by Walton,

J., in Price & Co. v. Union Lighterage Company. In that

case goods were loaded on a barge under a contract for

carriage by which the barge owner was exempt from

liability “for any loss of or damage to goods which can

be covered by insurance.” The barge was sunk owing to

the negligence of the servants of the barge owner, and

the goods were lost. The learned Judge held that the

barge owner was not protected from liability by the

contract. In the course of his judgment the learned

Judge observed: “...If it were right or permissible to deal

with this case without regard to the rules of

construction which have been laid down in a well-known

series of cases and looking only at the language used, it

might very well be said that its meaning was that the

defendants wore to be exempt from liability for

insurable losses whether caused by negligence or not.

But there is, I think, a well-established rule of

construction applicable to the present case. The law of

England, unlike in this respect the law of the United

States of America, does not forbid the carrier to exempt

himself by contract from liability for the negligence of

himself and his servants; but if the carrier desires so to

exempt himself, it requires that he shall do so in

express, plain, and unambiguous terms.”

After discussing the authorities Walton, J.,

summarises their effect in these words: “it really comes

to this, that if a carrier wishes to exempt himself from

40

liability for the negligence of his servants he must

insert in his contract, in one form or another, something

equivalent to what is well-known as a negligence

clause.” Now I understand a negligence clause to be a

provision which in express terms exempts a carrier

from liability for the negligence of his servants. The

specific condition in the bill of lading in the present

case contains no such provision…

… It is no doubt true that the bill of lading in the present

case does not contain contradictory terms and, in a

sense, it is not ambiguous, but the portion of the bill of

lading which deals with the liability of the carrier at the

particular stage of the adventure when the negligence

occurred, is not express with reference to the question

of negligence, and this being so I do not think the

carrier is protected…

… As in my view of the law a shipowner is not

exempted from liability for negligence unless the

contract which exempts him is both clear and express,

and as the contract in the present case, though it may

perhaps be said to be clear is certainly not express, I

am of opinion that the defendants are not protected by

their bill of lading. Two other questions remain for

consideration. I can deal with them shortly. Mr. Sundara

Ayyar contended that a contract which purported to

relieve a shipowner from his liability as a carrier for

negligence was contrary to public policy and should not

be enforced. As pointed out by Walton, J., in Price & Co.

v. Union Lighterage Company , the law of the United

States of America forbids a carrier to exempt himself by

contract from liability for negligence, whilst the law of

England does not. I am of opinion that on a question of

this character Courts in India ought to follow the law of

England.”

(emphasis supplied)

Wallis J. in his dissent, similarly relied upon Walton J.’s decision in

Union Lighterage Company (supra) and observed that:

41

“As regards the second point I am of opinion that it is

not open to us to hold that contracts exempting a

carrier from liability for the negligence of his servants

are void as opposed to public policy. As pointed out by

Walton, J., in Price & Co. v. Union Lighterage Company

“the law of England, unlike the law of the United States

of America, does not forbid the carrier to exempt

himself by contract from liability for the negligence of

himself and his servants; but, if the carrier desires so to

exempt himself, it requires that he shall do so in

express, plain, and unambiguous terms.” So far as the

general question goes this is the law which has been

received and applied by the Indian Courts, [Jellicoe v.

The British, India Steam Navigation. Co. and Hajee

Ismail Sait v. The Company of the Messageries

Maritimes of France]. Contracts have been made and

business has been carried on for many years in India on

this footing, and if the law is to be altered now it must

be by the legislature.”

(emphasis supplied)

24.Notably, neither White C.J. nor Wallis J. adverted to the

provisions of the Contract Act, which was in force in India at that

time, in their opinions on the enforceability of contractual

‘negligence clauses’. Rather, they primarily placed reliance upon

the common law in England which governed the issue at the time.

On the other hand, Sankaran Nair J. in his concurring judgment,

upon a detailed consideration of the provisions of the Contract

Act, particularly the provisions relating to bailment, opined that it

is not open to a bailee to contract out of the minimum standard of

42

liability under Section 151. He noted that while the rule of law in

England allowed shipowners to contractually exclude their

responsibility for the negligence of their servants, the validity of

the exemption clause under Indian law would necessarily have to

be tested on the touchstone of the provisions of the Contract Act.

The following portions of his opinion are important for deciding

this issue:

“Under Section 151 of the Act, the defendants,

therefore, are bound to take as much care of the goods

as a man of ordinary prudence would under similar

circumstances. It is only the incident of any contract not

inconsistent with its provisions that remains unaffected

by the Contract Act (see Section 1 of the Contract Act).

The incident of the contract before us that the bailee is

exempt from taking the care required by Section 151

appears to me to be clearly inconsistent with that

section. Section 152 seems to make this clear. It

declares that the bailee's liability is limited as declared

by Section 151, “in the absence of any special

contract,” or in other words he may by contract

undertake a higher responsibility, for instance, that of

an insurer. The provision in Section 152 that a bailee

may undertake a higher responsibility, the absence of a

similar provision that he may limit the liability imposed

by Section 151, and the fact that, in the chapter IX

relating to Bailment, whenever a rule of law is intended

to operate only in the absence of a contract to the

contrary it is expressly so stated - (see Sections 163,

165, 170, 171 and 174) leave no doubt in my mind that

a bailee's liability cannot be reduced by contract below

the limit prescribed by Section 151. In fact, throughout

the Act, whenever the legislature intended that the

43

provisions of the Act should be enforced only in the

absence of a contract between the parties they have

said so. (See Sections 109, 113, 116, 121, 93, 94, 95,

202, 219, 221, 230, 241, 253, 256, 261, 265)

The obligation imposed by Section 151 applies to

bailees as well as to their servants in the discharge of

their duty. The agent represents the bailee under the

Act. The Contract Act thus sweeps away all the

distinctions between the degrees of care required of the

bailees. In the English law the amount of care required

seems to depend upon the benefit accruing to the

bailee. Under the Contract Act the obligation arises

from the simple fact of accepting delivery or receiving

property for a certain purpose, and the care to be taken

is the same in all cases…

…The relations between parties may well be left to be

regulated by contract when the degree of care required

is dependent upon the benefit derived from the

bailment, but when the same amount of care is

required independent of any benefit to the bailee then

it may well be that the legislature did not think it right

to allow the bailee to reduce his liability. Assuming then

that the rule of English law that a common carrier can

get rid of his liability by contract has been accepted in

India, the contract itself must be obviously one which

will be recognized in the Indian Courts, and, if I am right

in the view above set forth, it necessarily follows that

while a common carrier may exempt himself from the

liability of an insurer by contract, he cannot exempt

himself from the liability of an ordinary carrier imposed

by Section 151 of the Indian Contract Act.

…The reason why a common carrier is bound to receive

goods tendered and the great responsibility of an

insurer is imposed upon him is that necessity compels

the owners of goods to trust him…As Best, C.J., puts it

in Riley v. Horne, “When goods are delivered to a

carrier, they are usually no longer under the eye of the

owner.... If they should be lost or injured by the

grossest negligence of the carrier or his servants, or

44

stolen by them, the owner would be unable to prove

either of these causes of loss; his witnesses must be

the carrier's servants, and they, knowing that they

could not be contradicted, would excuse their masters

and themselves.” For the above reasons it is essential

that common carriers must in India also be subject to

the English common liability, and the Privy Council have

now placed the matter beyond dispute. Where the

obligation is imposed upon the common carrier for the

benefit of the public he cannot get rid of that obligation

by agreement, if it is not reasonable.

The reasons given above by Lord Holt, Lord

Mansfield and Abbot, C.J., are, it appears to me,

conclusive to show that it is against public policy to

allow a claim for exemption as the one now put

forward. There is practically no freedom of choice, and

persons when entrusting shipowners with their property

are obliged to accept any condition that may be

imposed upon them by the steamship companies . The

cargo-owners have no control over the servants, and it

is only right that the master and not the cargo-owner

should suffer for the misuse of his powers by the

servant as he has armed him with those powers. The

law which requires care and diligence on the part of a

carrier will, otherwise, to illusory in the case of

steamship companies, as everything is left to the

servants. There will be a tendency to lax supervision

over the servants, and to make their selection

dependent more upon cheapness than on efficiency …

Nothing is more easy than for the carriers to call their

servants as witnesses and to prove prima facie that the

goods were protected in the usual way. It would then be

impossible for the plaintiff to bring negligence or

criminality home to the carriers although the goods

may not be forth coming and no explanation given how

the loss occurred.”

(emphasis supplied)

45

Sankaran Nair J. was firmly of the opinion that any

exemption clause with regard to negligence would be against the

interests of the mercantile community and shipowners, and

thereby void as opposed to public policy. This would be true even

in a case where the bailor agreed to pay lower remuneration to

the bailee on the condition that the latter would not be liable for

their servant’s negligence.

25.Admittedly, the opinion of Sankaran Nair J. forms part of one

school of thought on the point of contractual exclusion of liability

for negligence. However, in India, the opinion of White C.J. and

Wallis J. in Sheik Mahamad (supra) on this point has largely

been followed in subsequent decisions of various High Courts.

These decisions have held that a bailee would be liable for the

negligence of its servants, except in cases where a specific

negligence clause is inserted in the contract. They have all noted

that the Contract Act does not prohibit a party from contracting

out of its duty of care under Section 151.

30

30

See Kariadan Kumber v. British India Steam Navigation (1913)

38 Mad. 941; Hollandia Pinmen v. H. Oppenheiner AIR 1924 Rang 356; Bombay

Steam Navigation Ltd v. Vasudev Baburao Kamat ILR (1928) 52 Bom 37; Lakhaji

Dollaji & Co. v. Boorugu Mahadeo Rajanna 41 Bom LR 6; Indian Air Lines

Corporation v. Jothaji Maniram AIR 1959 Mad 285; State Bank of India v. M/s Quality

Bread Factory, Batala AIR 1983 P&H 244; Central Bank of India v. M/s Grains &

Gunny Agencies AIR 1989 MP 28.

46

26.Notably, academic opinion has also supported the view that

a bailee may contract out of his liability under Section 151. The

Law Commission of India has opined that the view of White C.J.

and Wallis J. in Sheik Mahamad (supra) is correct and that the

words “in the absence of any special contract” ought to be added

to Section 151 of the Contract Act to resolve the controversy.

31

Similarly, in their commentary on the Contract Act, Pollock and

Mulla have noted that though a bare reading of Section 152

indicates that a bailee may make a contract to increase his

responsibility over and above the standard under Section 151, the

provision has been interpreted to mean that the duty of care

enjoined on a bailee under Section 151 may be subject to a

contract excluding such responsibility. Hence, a contract of

exemption from liability for any loss or damage due to the fault,

carelessness or negligence of the bailee’s staff would bind the

parties and not be void as opposed to public policy.

32

27.On a closer reading, we find that the decision in Sheik

Mahamad (supra) and the subsequent High Court decisions

31

Law Commission of India, Contract Act, 1872 (LawCom No 13,

1958) para 125.

32

Pollock and Mulla, The Indian Contract and Specific Relief Acts

(Nilima Bhadbhade ed, updated 14

th

edn, 2013) 1505, 1522.

47

which followed it were in the context of common carriers as

bailees. With respect to liability of common carriers, it is settled

that the opinon of Sankaran Nair J now holds the field. A Division

Bench of this Court has clarified in Nath Bros. Exim

International Ltd. v. Best Roadways Ltd.

33

that their liability

is equivalent to that of an insurer and is absolute. Further, it has

been observed that such liability is governed by the Carriers Act

of 1865 and not by Sections 151 and 152 of the Contract Act, and

can therefore not be excluded by way of a special “owner’s risk”

clause in a contract. However, given that the present case

concerns with liability of a hotel for loss of vehicles of its guest

due to negligence, the question arises whether White C.J.’s

opinion in Sheik Mahamad holds good with respect to Section

151 and 152 and the prima facie liability standard which we have

laid down supra.

28.Upon perusal of the relevant decisions on this point, we find

that White C.J. and Wallis J’s opinion in Sheik Mahamad (supra)

was peculiar to the facts of that case. The case of a common

carrier at sea is different from a hotel which undertakes to park

33

(2000) 4 SCC 553.

48

vehicles for its guests on ground. In the former case, given the

unpredictable conditions at sea, and the fact that the shipowner

may be unable to supervise the conduct of his servants during an

overseas voyage, it can be argued that carriers should have the

liberty to contract out of liability for their servants’ negligence.

However, with respect to liability for vehicles bailed to a

hotel as is the case with valet parking, we are of the considered

opinion that Sankaran Nair J.’s opinion in Sheik Mahamad should

be adopted. Given that such vehicles would normally be parked in

the hotel’s own parking facility, or in the vicinity of the hotel, the

hotel staff is well-placed to ensure safe custody of the vehicle and

monitor its condition. Though valet parking may be offered as an

optional complimentary service in some instances, more often

than not, guests visiting the hotel have no other option but to

entrust their vehicles to the hotel’s custody, especially given the

congested urban areas where such hotels are located. As

emphasized earlier, the guest has an implicit expectation that the

repute and standards of 5-star hotels would entail adequate

safety of the vehicles handed over for valet parking. Thus, in such

a scenario, if the hotel is allowed to exclude its liability for

49

negligence by way of a contract, the standard of care imposed

under Section 151 will become illusory and virtually redundant,

rendering consumers vulnerable without any remedy. In our view,

the standard of care required to be taken by the hotel as a bailee

under Section 151 is sacrosanct and cannot be contracted out of.

It is important to clarify that though courts may have

construed the phrase ‘in the absence of any special contract’ in

Section 152 to mean that a bailee can reduce his liability under

Section 151, such an interpretation is incorrect. The words ‘in the

absence of any special contract’ in Section 152 clearly indicate

that it is open to the bailee to accept a higher standard of liability

than Section 151 under contract, and not otherwise.

However, this does not mean that the hotel would be liable

in all scenarios or that it cannot impose any exemption clause

through a contract. There may be situations where the loss or

damage may be caused due to the negligence of third parties, the

bailor’s own negligence or unforeseen circumstances beyond the

bailee’s control, which could not have been foreseen with

ordinary diligence. This would include, for example, acts of God,

seizure of the vehicle under legal process or by public authorities,

50

damage due to natural causes such as unforeseen weather

conditions, presence of inherent defects in the vehicle, acts of

loss or damage caused by the guest’s own negligence and so on.

A joint reading of Sections 151 and 152 shows that, in such cases,

the Contract Act intended that the bailee should not be liable for

the loss or damage of the goods bailed on all occasions. To re-

iterate, Section 152 expressly states that the bailee, in the

absence of any special contract, is not responsible for loss or

damage of the thing bailed, if he is able to prove that he has

taken the amount of care required under Section 151.

Therefore, hotels are at liberty to print clear contractual

disclaimers notifying their guests that their liability is excluded for

loss or damage to vehicles taken for valet parking which are

occasioned by acts of a third party, contributory negligence or by

force majeure events. However, as mentioned supra, this would

always be subject to the hotel discharging its initial burden of

proving that it fulfilled the standard of care imposed under

Section 151 of the Contract Act. Where the hotel or its servants

have actively connived against or acted negligently in

51

safeguarding the vehicles delivered for valet parking, ‘owner’s

risk’ clauses in the parking token will not come to their rescue.

In this regard, it is relevant to note where a valet or servant

has been handed custody of the vehicle, and such a servant takes

away the vehicle without authority, the hotel will be liable. This is

because there will still be a prima facie assumption that the hotel

has exercised laxity in supervising the actions of its servants.

However, the hotel will not liable where, in spite of due diligence,

a servant or employee who was not entrusted with custody of the

vehicle takes it without authority

34

, as this would be similar to a

case of theft by a third-party.

At this juncture, we would like to emphasize that the above

observations are limited to the issue for consideration before us,

that is, the liability of hotels as bailees for vehicles handed over to

them for valet parking. We are not commenting on whether the

rule as laid down by White C.J. and Wallis J. in Sheik Mahamad,

and followed in subsequent High Court decisions, holds good in

other kinds of contracts, and we desist from commenting further

on this aspect.

34

See Pollock and Mulla (n 32) 1505.

52

29.In light of the above discussion, in a case of theft of a vehicle

given for valet parking, the hotel cannot claim exemption from

liability by arguing it was due to acts of third parties beyond their

control, or that they are protected by an ‘owner’s risk’ clause,

prior to fulfilling its burden as required under Section 151 and

152. It is by now well established, that while a case of a robbery

by force is visibly beyond a bailee’s control, in cases of private

stealth, or simple theft where no force or violence is involved, the

bailee still has the prima facie burden of explaining that the loss

or disappearance of the goods in his custody is not attributable to

his neglect or want of care. This is because no one apart from the

bailee is in a position to explain the fate of the goods.

In the instant case, given our finding that the theft of the car

of Respondent No. 2 was a result of the negligence of the

Appellant-hotel, the exemption clause on the parking tag will not

exclude the Appellant’s liability. Hence, the argument of the

Appellant-hotel on this count fails.

30.In conclusion, we would summarize our observations on this

point as follows:

53

(i) the hotel-owner cannot contract out of liability for its

negligence or that of its servants in respect of a vehicle of its

guest in any circumstance. Once possession of the vehicle is

handed to the hotel staff or valet, there is an implied

contractual obligation to return the vehicle in a safe

condition upon the direction of the owner.

(ii) Even where there is a general or specific exemption

clause, there remains a prima facie burden of proof on the

hotel to explain that any loss or damage caused to the

vehicles parked was not on account of its negligence or want

of care per Sections 151 and 152 of the Contract Act. It is

only after this burden of proof is discharged that the

exemption clause can come into force. The burden of

proving that such loss or damage was covered by the

exemption clause will also be on the hotel.

31.In view of the foregoing discussion, we hold that the

consumer complaint in consideration is maintainable as it was

filed by the insurer as a subrogee, along with the original owner

as a co-complainant. Further, we find that strict liability cannot be

imposed on hotel owners in respect of loss of or damage to

54

vehicles of their guests. Instead, the rule of prima facie

negligence should be adopted. Applying this rule to the present

case, it is clear that the Appellant has not explained why its

failure to return the vehicle to Respondent No. 2 was not on

account of fault or negligence on its part. Thus, liability should be

affixed on the Appellant-hotel due to want of the requisite care

towards the car bailed to it. The instant appeal is dismissed

accordingly.

...........................................J.

(Mohan M. Shantanagoudar)

...........................................J.

(Ajay Rastogi)

New Delhi;

November 14, 2019

55