Cognizable VS Non-cognizable Offence – UPSC Prelims

Cognizable Offence:
  • A cognizable offence is one in which the police may arrest a person without warrant.
  • They are authorized to start investigation into a cognizable case on their own and do not require any orders from the court to do so.
Non-cognizable Offence:
  • A non-cognizable offence is an offence in which a police officer has no authority to arrest without warrant.
  • The police cannot investigate such an offence without the court’s permission.
  • In case of non-cognizable offences, an FIR under Section 155 CrPC is registered.
  • The complainant will be asked to approach a court for an order. The court may then direct the police to conduct an investigation on the complaint.
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