BOOK 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS
PART II
RULES AS TO CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY
TITLE V
ABETMENT AND CONSPIRACY
45. (1) Whoever directly or indirectly, instigates, commands, counsels, procures, solicits, or in any manner purposely aids, facilitates, encourages, or promotes, whether by his act or presence or otherwise, and every person who does any act for the purpose of aiding, facilitating, encouraging, or promoting the commission of a crime by any other person, whether known or unknown, certain or uncertain, is guilty of abetting that crime, and of abetting the other person in respect of that crime.
(2) Whoever abets a crime shall, if the crime is actually cornmined in pursuance or during the continuance of the abetment, be deemed guilty of that crime.
(3) Whoever abets a crime shall, if the crime is not actually committed, be punishable as follows, that is to say —
(a) if the commission of the crime is prevented by reason only of accident, or of circumstances or events independent of the will of the abettor, the abettor shall, where the crime abetted was murder, be liable to imprisonment for life, or shall where the crime abetted was any crime other than murder, be punishable in the same manner as if the crime had been actually committed in pursuance of the abetment ;
(b) in any other case the abettor shall, if the crime which he abetted was a felony, be deemed guilty of felony, or shall, if such crime was a misdemeanour, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour.
(4) Whoever abets a crime shall be punishable on indictment or on summary conviction, according as he would be punish¬able for committing that crime.
(5) An abettor may be tried before, with, or after a person abetted, and although the person abetted is dead or is otherwise not amenable to justice.
(6) An abettor may be tried before, with, or after any other abettor, whether he and such other abettor abetted each other in respect of the crime or not, and whether they abetted the same or different parts of the crime.
(7) An abettor shall have the benefit of any matter of exemption, justification, or extenuation to which he is entitled under this Code, notwithstanding that the person abetted or any other abettor is not entitled to the like benefit.
(8) Whoever within the jurisdiction of the Courts, abets the doing beyond the jurisdiction of an act which, if done within the jurisdiction, would be a crime, shall be punishable as if he had abetted that crime.
46. (1) Where a person abets a particular crime, or abets a crime against or in respect of a particular person or thing, and the person abetted actually commits a different crime, or commits the crime against or in respect of a different person or thing, or in a manner different from that which was intended by the abettor, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say—
(a) if it appears that the crime actually committed was not a probable consequence of the endeavour to commit, nor was substantially the same as the crime which the abettor intended to abet, nor was within the scope of the abetment, the abettor shall be punishable for his abetment of the crime which he intended to abet in the manner provided by this Title with respect to the abetment of crimes which are not actually committed ; and
(b) in any other case, the abettor shall be deemed to have abetted the crime which was actually committed, and shall be liable to punishment accordingly.
(2) If a person abets a riot or unlawful assembly, with the knowledge that unlawful violence is intended or is likely to be used, he is guilty of abetting violence of any kind or degree which is committed by any other person in executing the purposes of the riot or assembly, although he did not expressly intend to abet violence of that kind or degree.
47. Whoever knowing that a person designs to commit or is committing a felony, fails to use all reasonable means to prevent the commission or completion thereof, is guilty of a misdemeanour.
48. (1) If two or more persons agree to act together with a common purpose in committing or abetting a crime, whether with or without any previous concert or deliberation, each of them is guilty of conspiracy to commit or abet that crime, as the case may he.
(2) A person within the jurisdiction of the Courts can be guilty of conspiracy by agreeing with another person who is beyond the jurisdiction for the commission or abetment of any crime to be committed by them or either of them, or by any other person, either within or beyond the jurisdiction ; and for the purposes of this subsection as to a crime to be committed beyond the jurisdiction, "crime" means any act which, if done within the jurisdiction, would be a crime under this Code or under any other law.
49. (1) If two or more persons are guilty of conspiracy for the commission or abetment of any crime, each of them shall, in case the crime is committed, be punished as for that crime according to the provisions of this Code, or shall, in case the crime is not committed, be punished as if he had abetted that crime.
(2) Any Court having jurisdiction to try a person for a crime shall have jurisdiction to try a person or persons charged with conspiracy to commit or abet that crime.
Individual criminal responsibility
Joint commission
EDIT.