Victim’s Right to Access Justice Under Indian Criminal Justice System: An Appraisal

Human suffering in the form of any kind of victimization is as old as human civilization itself. Despite being an integral part of crime, victim still remained a ‘forgotten entity’. The antagonistic approach of justice had worsened the plight of victim in our criminal jurisprudence. It is the demand of justice that when the governments are obliged to resort feasible measures for correcting and rehabilitating the offender, the victim must also be manifested with similar concern by providing at least adequate compensation for their misery, apart from satisfying the victim by the convicting the offender. It is very essential to provide the victim with central role otherwise their situation in criminal justice system remains discontent. The aim of this paper to analyze the status of victims under Indian criminal jurisprudence and what assistance are available to victims as a matter of right and what different rights which are available to victims in the whole process of criminal justice administration, along with the matter of legal aid and change in the trend of compensatory jurisprudence.