Victim's Right To Compensation Under The Indian Criminal Justice System

Shruti Aggarwal, Law College Dehradun

ABSTRACT

Victim compensation is an emerging concept formulated by the Indian Judiciary to provide relief to the victims. Initially the focus of the criminologists was more on the offenders of the crime, and very less attention was provided to the victims of crime. Out of every four citizens in the country, one of them is a victim, therefore with the increase in the crime rate, the focus started shifting from the offenders to the victims. With the advent of time, the penologists started paying heed to the condition of the victims, various provisions and legislations have now been evolved relating to the rights of victims of crime. Victims should also be considered as an important part of the criminal justice administration and should not be neglected. Monetary or pecuniary compensation is a means to provide some relief to the victims and family members of the victims who have suffered loss or injury as a result of the crime. This paper tries to look in to the rights of the victims to get compensation under the Indian Criminal Justice System.