The Journey of a Criminal Case From Investigation to Trial

The Journey of a Criminal Case From Investigation to Trial

Cognizable offence

Cognizable offenses are of much serious nature. In a Cognizable offense, the police officer can arrest a person without a warrant. A cognizable offense is defined under section 2 (c) of the CrPC. The moment it is intimated to the police that any offense which is cognizable in nature has been committed in its local jurisdiction, the police are bound to register an FIR under section 154 of the CrPC. [2]A cognizable offense is an offense which is punishable with imprisonment for 3 years or more. [3]A complaint can also be given to a Magistrate and the Magistrate orders the officer in- charge and forwards the complaint. The officer then registers the FIR. In a cognizable offense, the police can start the investigation immediately after filing the FIR. No permission from the Magistrate is required.