3.2 Role of Crime Victims in the Criminal Justice System

The victim's historic journey: from party (private prosecution era) → to evidence (the state's takeover) → to rights-holder (the modern restoration). 1. As the case's initiator: the FIR/complaint sets the machinery moving; the victim's statement anchors the investigation. 2. As investigator's partner: identifying suspects, producing evidence, medical examination, line-ups. 3. As witness: the pivotal testimony — the system's treatment of the witness-victim (delays, adjournments, cross-examination's trauma) is the system's victim-sensitivity test. 4. As claimant: compensation applications, restitution claims, and (in defined cases) the appeal role. 5. As participant in outcomes: reconciliation (melmilap) in compoundable offences; victim- offender dialogue in restorative processes (Unit 5); the TRC-era participation of conflict victims (the Suman Adhikari litigation's field).