Sirisena Ranawaka and Others v. The Attorney General – sllr 1985 volume 2 page 210

In the case between Sirisena Ranawaka and Others (Plaintiffs) and the Attorney-General (Defendant), the court addressed whether members of an unlawful assembly could be held liable for housebreaking, robbery, and mischief by fire under the Penal Code, even if not all members directly participated in every criminal act. It was determined that liability attaches to all members for acts connected to the common object of the assembly as per sections 140, 443, and 380 of the Penal Code, provided those acts are committed in direct prosecution of the common purpose. However, conviction for separate offences such as mischief by fire requires proof that such acts were executed in furtherance of the assembly’s common object. The court reaffirmed that presence and shared intent in an unlawful assembl