Question:medium

In Rylands v. Fletcher, Justice Blackburn used the term(s):

Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • Strict liability
  • Absolute liability
  • Strict and absolute liability
  • None of the above
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

The easiest way to separate strict liability from absolute liability is to check whether any defences survive, that single detail decides this question.

  1. Strict liability: under the rule from Rylands v. Fletcher, a defendant can still escape liability by showing, for instance, that the escape was caused by an act of a stranger, an act of God, or the claimant's own default. Liability does not depend on proving negligence, but it is not completely without defences either, and this middle position is what strict liability means.
  2. Absolute liability: this Indian doctrine, developed in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India for hazardous industries, strips away all of those defences, making the enterprise liable no matter what caused the escape. This is a later and stricter version, not the rule from the original English case.
  3. Strict and absolute liability: treating the two as a single combined term glosses over the very defences that mark the difference between them, so this option is not an accurate label for either concept on its own.
  4. None of the above: since strict liability is the settled name for the Rylands v. Fletcher principle in every standard tort text, there is no reason to rule out all the options.

Because the original rule keeps its exceptions intact, it stays at the strict liability stage rather than the defence-free absolute liability stage.

The correct answer is Strict liability.

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