Evolution of the Concept of Victim

A Crime has far-reaching effects in the society than what merely meets the eyes especially for the one who is at the receiving end of it that is the “victim”. The victim as an individual living in the society, the repercussions of any act that violates his right to live reverberates through the world at large. In such case giving due recognition to the condition of the victim following the crime and providing him or her every chance to recoup becomes as essential as ensuring that justice is carried out with adequate admonishment so as to deter anybody from committing an offence. When the judiciary fails to do the same what may happen is that the aggrieved may resort into taking law into his own hands which would then culminate into social unrest. This is where the rights of the victims come into picture. A victim who is devoid of his rights may in every possibility either suffer throughout his or her life or end up turning into a criminal if not provided with the correct means to seek justice and get himself or herself heard. The Indian judiciary’s evolution has been multi-dimensional over the years owing to the numerous amendments that have paved way for a system that was predominantly focused on retribution to one that recognises the agonies of the victims. Nonetheless the changes, are we headed towards creating a more robust and pragmatic environment for them that not only address the dormant issues but constantly strives to rebuild all that has been broken, not to its previous way but to a more strengthened one or has the criminal justice system’s effort to uplift the status of the victims gone lackadaisical into implementing the shift? This paper focuses on the developments and roadblocks that have shaped the victim’s rights in the last decade and onwards.