Question:medium

Principle: Nothing is an offence by reason of any harm it may cause to another person, if it is done in good faith and for the benefit of that person even without that person‘s consent.
Facts: A is attacked by a Lion and Lion drags him while he is crying for help. B, a passer by picks up A‘s gun in good faith and fires at Lion which injures A. B has never used the gun before.
This question consists of legal principle(s) (hereinafter referred to as ‘principle‘) and facts. Such proposition may or may not be true in the real and legal sense, yet you have to conclusively assume them to be true for the purposes of this section. Principles have to be applied to the given facts to arrive at the most reasonable conclusion. Only one of the alternatives, i.e., (A), (B), (C), or (D) is the most reasonable conclusion. In other words, in answering the following questions, you must not rely on any principle except the principles that are given herein below for every question. Further you must not assume any facts other than those stated in the question. The objective of this section is to test your ability in legal aptitude, study of law, research aptitude and problem solving ability even if the ’most reasonable conclusion‘ arrived at may be absurd or unacceptable for any other reason.

Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
  • B is liable for the injury because he knew that he can injure A as he has never used any gun before
  • B is not liable as he has done the act in good faith
  • B is liable because he has not taken A‘s consent before firing
  • B is liable because he has used A‘s gun without his consent
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The Correct Option is B

Approach Solution - 1

The principle protects a person who causes harm to someone else, as long as two conditions are met together, good faith and intent to benefit that person, and it specifically says consent is not needed for this protection to apply.

B saw A being dragged by a lion and picked up A's own gun to fire at the animal, purely to save A. That act was done in good faith and squarely for A's benefit, which satisfies both conditions the principle sets, and the fact that A never gave consent to being shot at, or to B using the gun, does not matter because the principle already accounts for that.

B's lack of prior experience with a gun does not change any of this, since skill level is not one of the conditions the principle tests. What matters is the motive and good faith behind the act, both of which point toward B, so none of the liability-based options survive contact with the actual wording of the rule.

So the correct answer is B is not liable as he has done the act in good faith.

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Approach Solution -2

Checking what fact would need to be different for each option to hold shows where the incorrect choices go wrong.

  1. B is liable for the injury because he knew that he can injure A as he has never used any gun before: This would only matter if skill or experience were part of the principle's test, but the rule asks only about good faith and benefit, so this option depends on a requirement the principle does not contain.
  2. B is not liable as he has done the act in good faith: Nothing needs to change, B already acted in good faith and for A's benefit exactly as the facts describe, which is all the principle asks for.
  3. B is liable because he has not taken A's consent before firing: This would only be a problem if consent were a requirement, but the principle expressly covers acts done without consent, so this option is built on a condition the rule has already ruled out.
  4. B is liable because he has used A's gun without his consent: Same issue, this would only hold if using the gun without permission mattered under the rule, but the rule protects exactly this kind of good faith act regardless of consent to use the object involved.

Since good faith and benefit to A are already present and nothing about skill or consent changes that, the option resting on good faith is the one left standing.

Therefore, the correct answer is B is not liable as he has done the act in good faith.

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