Victims' Compensation Schemes under the Code of Criminal Procedure and Judicial Directions

Over the last four decades, India’s criminal process has moved slowly but unmistakably from an offender‑centric model to a framework that acknowledges the rights and needs of victims. A cornerstone of this shift is the set of compensation mechanisms embedded in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) most prominently Sections 357, 357A, 357B and 357C together with a growing body of Supreme Court directions that have operationalized and, at times, expanded these statutory tools. This paper maps the doctrinal evolution from early exhortations to use Section 357 liberally, to the statutory insertion of Section 357A (2009) requiring State‑level schemes, to judicial mandates that fix minimums and timelines in specific classes of cases (notably acid attacks and sexual offences). It then assesses implementation challenges (inter‑State disparities, delays, low awareness, and thin institutional capacity) and proposes concrete reforms oriented to speed, predictability, and dignity, consistent with international norms such as the 1985 UN Declaration on Justice for Victims of Crime.