Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 155
repealedLiability 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 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.
Why this exists
This provision comes from a time when land disputes in colonial India often triggered violent group clashes — landlords or claimants would sometimes look the other way, or even quietly encourage, mobs acting in their interest during property fights. The law was designed to make such beneficiaries accountable, pushing them to actively prevent violence rather than passively profit from it.
Common misconceptions
- Myth: The landowner must have organized or ordered the riot to be punished under this section.
Fact: The section only requires that the riot benefited them and that they (or their agent) knew it was likely and failed to try to prevent or stop it — active organizing isn't required. - Myth: This section allows serious punishment like imprisonment.
Fact: The punishment specified here is fine only, not imprisonment.