Question

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a cognizable offence?

• A. Police can register FIR without prior approval
• B. Requires prior sanction of court to investigate
• C. Usually non-bailable
• D. Considered serious in nature

Hint:

In cognizable offences, police can immediately arrest and investigate without prior court approval. For non-cognizable offences, court approval is required to start investigations.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To solve this, we need to understand the nature of cognizable offences: 
1. Step 1: What is a Cognizable Offence? 
A cognizable offence is a serious offence where the police have the authority to arrest the accused without a warrant and begin an investigation without the permission of a court. Such offences typically include serious crimes like murder, rape, etc.
2. Step 2: Characteristics of Cognizable Offences. 
The police can register an FIR (First Information Report) without prior approval from a court.
The offence is generally considered serious and bailable in some cases.
Cognizable offences do not require prior sanction from the court for investigation.
3. Step 3: Correct Answer Explanation. 
Option (2) “Requires prior sanction of court to investigate” is incorrect because cognizable offences do not require court sanction for police to investigate. This is a characteristic of non-cognizable offences.