Based on the provided judgment, if a court's cognizance is taken without the necessary sanction under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the cognizance would be considered invalid (!) . The court has emphasized that the absence of such sanction makes it impermissible for the court to proceed with the case, as the law explicitly mandates prior sanction for prosecuting public servants in relation to acts done in the course of their official duties (!) .

Furthermore, the court clarified that proceedings initiated without the required sanction should be dropped, and the order to do so is valid and proper in such circumstances (!) . The court also indicated that if the necessary sanction is subsequently granted by the competent authority, the prosecution can be reactivated, and prior orders dismissing the proceedings would not prevent the initiation of proceedings after obtaining the proper sanction (!) .

In summary, if a court has taken cognizance of an offence against a public servant without the requisite sanction, such cognizance is invalid, and the court can lawfully drop the proceedings on that basis. The proceedings can be revived if and when the proper sanction is obtained later (!) (!) .