Nita Rijiju, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati
INTRODUCTION
Victims have few legal rights to be informed, present and heard within the criminal Justice System. Victims do not have to be notified of court proceedings or of the arrest or release of the defendant, they have no right to attend the trial or other proceedings and they have no right to make a statement to the court at sentencing or at other hearing. Moreover, victim assistance programmes are virtually non-existent.1 Victim means people who individually or collectively, have suffered harm including physical or mental injury and economic loss and substantial impairment of their fundamental rights through Act that are in violation of criminal law.
