What Is Criminal Complaint?

The code of criminal procedure defines the term ‘complaint' as any allegation made orally or in
writing to a Magistrate. It's done with a view to his taking action under this Code, that some
person, whether known or unknown, has committed an offence, but does not include a police
report.

Cognizance By Magistrate Section 190:

‘‘Cognizance'' in general meaning is said to be knowledge or notice', and taking cognizance of
offences means taking notice, or becoming aware of the alleged commission of an offence. The
dictionary meaning of the word cognizance is judicial hearing of a matter. The judicial officer will
have to take cognizance of the offence before he could proceed with the conduct of the trial.
Taking cognizance does not involve any kind of formal action but occurs as soon as a magistrate
as such applies his mind to the suspected commission of an offence for the purpose of legal
proceedings. So, taking cognizance is also said to be the application of judicial mind.

It includes the intention of starting a judicial proceeding with respect to an offence or taking steps
to see whether there is a basis for starting the judicial proceeding. It is trite that before taking
cognizance that court should satisfy that ingredients of the offence charged are there or not. A
court can take cognizance only once after that it becomes functus officio.

If a magistrate involves his mind not for reason of proceeding as mentioned above, but for taking
action of some other kind, example ordering investigation under Section 156(3) or issuing the
search warrant for the purpose of the investigation, he cannot be said to have taken cognizance
of offence.

The term ‘Cognizance of offence' has not been defined in the Criminal Procedure Code. Section
190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, and 199 deals with methods by which and the
limitations subject to which various criminal courts are established to take cognizance of
offences. However, the meaning of the term is well defined by the Courts. Taking cognizance is
the first and foremost steps towards the trail. The judicial officer will have to take cognizance of
the offence before he could proceed to conduct or trail.

In Section 190, Any Magistrate of the first class and the second class may take cognizance of
any offence:
Upon receiving a complaint of facts related to offences. Upon police reports of facts. Upon
information received from a person (other than a police officer), or upon his own knowledge.
Section 200-203 talks about complaint to magistrate.

Examination Of Complaint Section 200:

A Magistrate with whom compliant filed, shall examine the complainant and also witnesses on
oath. The contents in the compliant shall also examined and reduced in writing in a report. The
report shall have signature of complainant, witnesses and also the Magistrate. Provided that,
when the complaint made in writing, the Magistrate need not examine the complainant and the
witnesses:

1. if a public servant acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duties or a
Court has made the complaint; or
2. if the Magistrate makes over the case for inquiry or trial to another Magistrate under
section 192:

Provided further that if the Magistrate transfers the case to another Magistrate under section 192
after examining the complainant and the witnesses, the latter Magistrate need not re-examine
them.

The procedure has been enunciated in Section 200 of Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1973. For
the purpose of explain the main points in a nutshell for practical use, I'll state them in bullet
points:

1. The complaint has to be filed with the magistrate who has the jurisdiction to try the
offence complained of. However, in cases where the complaint is accidentally filed with
the magistrate not having the jurisdiction, the magistrate is duty bound to return the
complaint to be presented to the appropriate magistrate by stating the necessary details
thereof.

2. The complaint may be made orally or in writing. However, it is always better to furnish it
in writing.

3. Unlike the filing of the FIR, where after the police straightaway proceed to investigate the
offence complained of and arrest the suspects, in case of the complaint the magistrate
will not proceed with it without examining the complainant and witnesses (note-only the
witnesses who are present at the time of filing such complaint).

4. Thereafter the magistrate will make a written report of the examination and sign it himself
as well as get it signed by the complainant and the witnesses.

5. Thereafter if the magistrate is satisfied that the complaint coupled with the examination
discloses an offence, he shall proceed with taking cognizance of the offence (which
simply means that he would summon the accused suspects for the purpose of trial)

6. However, if the magistrate is not satisfied that the complaint (and examination) discloses
any offence, he may take one of the two options available to him: he may either dismiss
the complaint or he may order the police to undertake some further investigation under
Section 202 of the Code.

7. After the police officer reports back to the magistrate his findings the magistrate may
proceed with either of the steps stated in point 5 and point 6 (minus the investigation
order, of course, which has already been given).

Section 201 of CRPC Procedure by Magistrate not competent to take cognizance of the
case:
If the complaint is made to a Magistrate who is not competent to take cognizance of the offence,
he shall:
 a. if the complaint is in writing, return it for presentation to the proper Court with an
endorsement to that effect;
b. if the complaint is not in writing, direct the complainant to the proper Court.

Section 202 of CRPC Postponement of issue of process:

1. Any Magistrate , on receipt of a complaint of an offence of which he is authorised to take

cognizance or which has been made over to him under section 192, may, if he thinks fit,
postpone the issue of process against the accused, and either inquire into the case
himself or direct an investigation to be made by a police officer or by such other person
as he thinks fit, for the purpose of deciding whether or not there is sufficient ground for
proceeding:

Provided that no such direction for investigation shall be made:

a. where it appears to the Magistrate that the offence complained of is triable

exclusively by the Court of Session; or
b. where the complaint has not been made by a Court, unless the complainant and
the witnesses present (if any) have been examined on oath under section 200.

2. In an inquiry under sub-section (1), the Magistrate may, if he thinks fit, take
evidence of witnesses on oath:
Provided that if it appears to the Magistrate that the offence complained of is triable
exclusively by the Court of Session, he shall call upon the complainant to produce all his
witnesses and examine them on oath.

3. If an investigation under sub-section (1) is made by a person not being a police officer,
he shall have for that investigation all the powers conferred by this Code on an officer in
charge of a police station except the power to arrest without warrant.

Section 203 of CRPC Dismissal of complaint

4. If, after considering the statements on oath (if any) of the complainant and of the
witnesses and the result of the inquiry or investigation (if any) under section 202, the
Magistrate is of opinion that there is no sufficient ground for proceeding, he shall dismiss
the complaint, and in every such case he shall briefly record his reasons for so doing.

If the Magistrate does not satisfy that there is sufficient ground to issue process, then he shall
dismiss the complaint under section 203 of the CrPC.

How to challenge the complaint:

When the Magistrate issued the process against the accused, he cannot take it back. The Code
of Criminal Procedure does not provide the power of review so the Magistrate could not review
its process or cancel the summon or warrant.

If the court has issued the process, then you cannot file any recall application under section 203
CrPC. In Adalat Prasad v. Rooplal Jindal, (2004) 7 SCC 338 the Supreme Court held that if the
Magistrate did not dismiss the complaint and issued process, then the accused cannot approach
the court under section 203 CrPC for dismissal of the complaint because the stage of section 203
has already over.

Hence, you cannot challenge the complaint under section 203 of the CrPC. The court does not
hear the accused at the stage of section 203. The accused has no role at this stage (Bholu Ram
v. State of Punjab, (2008) 9 SCC 140)

In the absence of the review power, you can challenge the complaint under section 482 CrPC.
You may invoke the inherent power of the High Court under section 482 CrPC to do justice in
your case (Iris Computers Ltd. v. Askari Infotech (P) Ltd., (2015) 14 SCC 399).