Inherent criminal jurisdiction cannot block a cognizable offence investigation before cognizance; police may proceed without Magistrate approval.

The inherent jurisdiction of the criminal court could not be used to halt a lawful police investigation into cognizable offences before cognizance was taken, because the statute assigns investigative functions to the police at the pre-prosecution stage. The police may investigate such offences on information or otherwise without prior Magistrate approval, and an FIR is not a condition precedent to commencing inquiry. On that basis, the High Court's interference was set aside and the investigation was allowed to continue.

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Issues: (i) Whether the High Court could invoke its inherent jurisdiction to quash a police investigation into cognizable offences before cognizance was taken; (ii) Whether the police had authority to investigate the information reports without a Magistrate's order.

Issue (i): Whether the High Court could invoke its inherent jurisdiction to quash a police investigation into cognizable offences before cognizance was taken.

Analysis: The inherent power preserved by the criminal procedure law does not create a new jurisdiction to interfere with matters that the statute commits to the police. The police investigation had only reached the inquiry stage and no prosecution had yet commenced before the court. Judicial restraint was required because the functions of the judiciary and the police are complementary, and interference at the investigation stage would cut across the statutory scheme.

Conclusion: The High Court had no power to quash the police investigation at that stage.

Issue (ii): Whether the police had authority to investigate the information reports without a Magistrate's order.

Analysis: The reports disclosed cognizable offences, and the statutory scheme permitted investigation on information or otherwise when a cognizable offence was suspected. The recording of a first information report was not a condition precedent to the commencement of investigation, and the police could proceed without prior judicial authorization where the offence was cognizable.

Conclusion: The police were entitled to investigate without a Magistrate's order.

Final Conclusion: The order of the High Court was set aside and the police investigation was permitted to continue.

Ratio Decidendi: The inherent jurisdiction of the criminal court cannot be used to obstruct a lawful police investigation into a cognizable offence before cognizance, because the statute confers an independent investigative power on the police at the pre-prosecution stage.

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