
Every wrongful act or offence is divided in two types, cognizable and non -cognizable offences.
Cognizable offence is the type of crime in which police may arrest the accused. The seriousness of this crime involves police authority over which police has jurisdiction. In these offences, a police officer can make arrests without warrant and start investigation right away without prior permission of court. Some examples are murder and theft.
Non- cognizable offences are those offences where court issues arrest warrants. There can be no direct investigation and arrest by police without instructions from court.