Liability of person for whose benefit riot is committed
Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with liability of person for whose benefit riot is committed. Whenever a riot is committed for the benefit or on behalf of any person who is the owner or occupier of any land respecting which such riot takes place or who claims any interest in such land, or in the subject of any dispute which gave rise to the riot, or who has accepted or derived any benefit th The Act came into force on 01 Jan 1862. Repealed by section 358 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) with effect from 1 July 2024, but conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under it.
Whenever a riot is committed for the benefit or on behalf of any person who is the owner or occupier of any land respecting which such riot takes place or who claims any interest in such land, or in the subject of any dispute which gave rise to the riot, or who has accepted or derived any benefit therefrom, such person shall be punishable with fine, if he or his agent or manager, having reason to believe that such riot was likely to be committed or that the unlawful assembly by which such riot was committed was likely to be held, shall not respectively use all lawful means in his or their power to prevent such assembly or riot from taking place, and for suppressing and dispersing the same.
Section 155, The Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Act 45 of 1860).
Now in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
BNS 193 Liability of owner, occupier, etc., of land on which an unlawful assembly or riot takes place Close, with changes 76%
Measured by comparing the text of the two provisions, not taken from an official correspondence table — there is no machine-readable one. See both texts side by side before relying on it.
Both regimes are live. The repealed enactment still governs what happened while it was in force. We never redirect one to the other.
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Zahoor Anwar @ Munna vs Hafiz Khan
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
The High Court possesses inherent powers under Section 482 Cr.P.C. to correct typographical errors in its own orders. When a court order contains a reference to a statutory provision that was not part of the original charges or proceedings, such erroneous reference can be deleted to ensure accuracy of the judicial record. The corrected order shall be read conjointly with the original order to maintain the continuity and validity of the judicial pronouncement.
On this section: Information to police officer - erroneously mentioned in the order and now deleted as it was not part of the actual charges
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… It is the prosecution's case that Salim Mulla's wife, Shama Mulla, along with some others, assaulted the police team when they were recording the panchnama at the gambling den. - 4. FIR 136 of 2019 for offences punishable under Sections 143, 147, 149, 395, 307, 353, 332, 155, 109, 324, 323 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code 1860, 1 Sections 4 and 5 of the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act 1887,<sup>2</sup> Section 65(e) of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act 1949 and Sections 37 and 135 of the Bombay Police Act 1951 was registered in PS Rajarampuri, Kolhapur on the basis of a complaint …
Questions about Section 155
What have the courts held on Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code?
Zahoor Anwar @ Munna vs Hafiz Khan (16 Sep 2016) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Information to police officer - erroneously mentioned in the order and now deleted as it was not part of the actual charges.
How do I find court cases under Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: IPC 155, section 155 IPC, section 155 of the Indian Penal Code. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Zahoor Anwar @ Munna vs Hafiz Khan (16 Sep 2016).
What should I read with Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code, and has it changed?
For anything done on or after 1 July 2024 the provision to read is BNS 193 (Liability of owner, occupier, etc., of land on which an unlawful assembly or riot takes place), which replaced it; conduct before that date is still charged, tried and appealed under this section.
When did Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code come into force?
Section 155 of the Indian Penal Code, cited as IPC 155, came into force on 01 Jan 1862, having been enacted on 06 Oct 1860. It is no longer in force.
Other sections of this Act
- 499. Defamation1512 words
- 464. Making a false document1223 words
- 300. Murder1172 words
- 378. Theft980 words
- 108. Abettor745 words
- 403. Dishonest misappropriation of property727 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Recovered from the consolidated text published by India Code (item 7b7d4fe6-206b-4e33-81f1-b98b018acaf6). This page is not a substitute for legal advice.