Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, a 'COGNIZABLE OFFENCE' means an offence:

The BNSS defines a 'cognizable offence' as an offence for which a police officer may, in accordance with the First Schedule of the Sanhita or under any other law for the time being in force, ARREST WITHOUT WARRANT. A 'non-cognizable offence' is the converse, for which arrest ordinarily requires a warrant. Reinforcing this, the BNSS specifies that in the case of a non-cognizable offence the police cannot arrest without a warrant, and that arrest is otherwise to be preceded by the recording of reasons. The warrantless-arrest test for cognizability is foundational to criminal procedure under the new code.