JOGENDRA NAHAK vs STATE OF ORISSA

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of whether four individuals, who were not parties to a criminal case, could compel a magistrate to record their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Court upheld the High Court's decision to dismiss their writ petition, emphasizing that the appellants failed to demonstrate any mala fide action by the investigating officer and were instead attempting to assist the accused. The Court affirmed the imposition of compensatory costs on the appellants for filing a frivolous petition.