| Pub. Date | : April' 2023 |
|---|---|
| Product Name | : The IUP Journal of Law Review |
| Product Type | : Article |
| Product Code | : IJLR040423 |
| Author Name | : T Padma |
| Availability | : YES |
| Subject/Domain | : Arts & Humanities |
| Download Format | : PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : 09 |
The purpose of the criminal justice system is prevention of crime, maintenance of law and order to preserve public peace, as well as protection of rights of the important stakeholders, i.e., the accused and crime victim. In India, the criminal justice system is accused-oriented. The Constitution of India guarantees certain rights to the accused under articles 20, 21, and 22. Conversely, victims of a crime are forgotten. They are considered mere witnesses in the trial. In the last few decades, many countries in the world have recognized the need to protect the rights of the crime victims. But unfortunately in India, there is no substantial improvement in the condition of victims. In 2003, Justice Malimath Committee made several recommendations concerning victims of crime. Amendments have been made to the Criminal Procedure Code in 2008 and Section 2(wa) has been inserted in the code which provides an elaborate definition of a victim. Few other sections also have been inserted by Criminal Law Amendment Acts which contain provisions relating to the victim. Nonetheless, the needs of the victims are not properly addressed and their role in the criminal justice system is nominal. This paper examines the role of crime victims in the criminal justice system and suggests measures to enhance their position.
Crime victims are unfortunately the forgotten people in the criminal justice delivery
system. The criminal justice system tends to think more about the rights of the offender
than relief for the victims. The anxiety shown to highlight the rights of the offender is
not shown in enforcing the law relating to compensation, which too has a social purpose
to serve.1
Crime, an evil in society, is constantly increasing. Every crime produces a victim. A
victim is a person who has suffered physical or emotional harm or economic loss as a
result of a crime. The Criminal Justice System (CJS) punishes the offender to protect
society but does not show equal concern for the victims of crime. Victims of crime who
seek to achieve justice through the CJS are expected to report the crime to the concerned