Cognizable vs Non-Cognizable offences
Indian law divides all criminal offences into two broad categories based on their seriousness:
Cognizable offences include serious matters like theft, cheating, assault causing grievous hurt, and robbery. Police have a legal duty to investigate these immediately upon receiving information.
Non-Cognizable offences include minor disputes, simple verbal altercations, minor trespass, and petty scuffles. For these, police cannot investigate or arrest without specific directions from a Judicial Magistrate.
What is an NC (Non-Cognizable Report)?
When you report a non-cognizable matter, the police officer enters the substance of the complaint in a Non-Cognizable Register (often called an NC or NCR) and gives you a copy.
Under Section 174 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 155 CrPC), the officer advises the complainant to approach the local Magistrate court to pursue the matter further.
Can an NC turn into an FIR?
An NC can proceed to investigation in two ways:
- 1The complainant files a private complaint before the Judicial Magistrate, who examines the case and directs the police to investigate under Section 175(3) BNSS (formerly Section 156(3) CrPC).
- 2If an incident involves both cognizable and non-cognizable offences, the entire case is treated as a cognizable case and an FIR is registered.
Key differences at a glance
FIR: Requires cognizable offence, police investigate immediately, free copy provided, published on citizen portals where applicable.
NC: Non-cognizable offence, no police investigation without court order, entry recorded in station diary, not published on public FIR portals.
This is a description of the public process, not legal advice. For advice about your own case, speak to a lawyer or the police station handling it.