Question:
Assertion (A): The essence of joint liability under section 149 of the IPC is that the criminal act must have been done with a view to fulfill the common object of an unlawful assembly.
Reason (R): Any sudden and provocative act done by a member of an unlawful assembly would render the other members of that assembly liable.
Assertion (A): The essence of joint liability under section 149 of the IPC is that the criminal act must have been done with a view to fulfill the common object of an unlawful assembly.
Reason (R): Any sudden and provocative act done by a member of an unlawful assembly would render the other members of that assembly liable.
Reason (R): Any sudden and provocative act done by a member of an unlawful assembly would render the other members of that assembly liable.
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Section 149 fastens liability only for acts done in prosecution of the common object, or known to be likely in prosecution of it. Test the reason against that limit.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
- Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
- Both A and R are individually true but R is not the correct explanation of A
- A is true but R is false
- A is false but R is true
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The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The assertion states the core of Section 149 IPC. The reason makes a broader claim, that any sudden and provocative act by one member fastens liability on the rest. Test each statement separately.
Step 2: What Section 149 says:
Section 149 creates constructive or vicarious liability. If an offence is committed by any member of an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly, or if the members knew that such an offence was likely to be committed in prosecution of that object, then every person who was a member of that assembly at the time is guilty of that offence.
The controlling words are "in prosecution of the common object" and "knew to be likely". The section fixes liability only through the common object. That is exactly what the assertion says, so the assertion is true.
Step 3: Testing the Reason:
The reason drops the common object requirement altogether. It says any sudden and provocative act by a member makes the others liable. That is not the law. A sudden act, committed on a private impulse and unconnected with the common object, is the individual act of the person who did it. The others are not liable for it unless it was done in prosecution of the common object or they knew it was likely to happen in prosecution of that object.
Courts have said this repeatedly. A member of an unlawful assembly does not become an insurer against every independent act of every other member. So the reason is false.
Step 4: Why the other options fail:
Options (A) and (B) both need the reason to be true, and it is not. It states a rule wider than Section 149 permits.
Option (D) makes the assertion false, but the assertion is a correct statement of the essence of Section 149.
Step 5: Putting it together:
The assertion is a correct description of the section. The reason contradicts the section by removing the common object link. So we have a true assertion and a false reason.
Final Answer:
A is true but R is false, so the answer is option (C).
The assertion states the core of Section 149 IPC. The reason makes a broader claim, that any sudden and provocative act by one member fastens liability on the rest. Test each statement separately.
Step 2: What Section 149 says:
Section 149 creates constructive or vicarious liability. If an offence is committed by any member of an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly, or if the members knew that such an offence was likely to be committed in prosecution of that object, then every person who was a member of that assembly at the time is guilty of that offence.
The controlling words are "in prosecution of the common object" and "knew to be likely". The section fixes liability only through the common object. That is exactly what the assertion says, so the assertion is true.
Step 3: Testing the Reason:
The reason drops the common object requirement altogether. It says any sudden and provocative act by a member makes the others liable. That is not the law. A sudden act, committed on a private impulse and unconnected with the common object, is the individual act of the person who did it. The others are not liable for it unless it was done in prosecution of the common object or they knew it was likely to happen in prosecution of that object.
Courts have said this repeatedly. A member of an unlawful assembly does not become an insurer against every independent act of every other member. So the reason is false.
Step 4: Why the other options fail:
Options (A) and (B) both need the reason to be true, and it is not. It states a rule wider than Section 149 permits.
Option (D) makes the assertion false, but the assertion is a correct statement of the essence of Section 149.
Step 5: Putting it together:
The assertion is a correct description of the section. The reason contradicts the section by removing the common object link. So we have a true assertion and a false reason.
Final Answer:
A is true but R is false, so the answer is option (C).
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