Access to justice for victims of crime and the role of legal services authorities in Rajasthan

Abstract

Access to justice for a victim of crime is wider than access to a courtroom. It includes reliable information, respectful treatment, legal assistance, protection, participation, timely compensation and support for recovery. India has created a substantial institutional framework for these purposes through the Constitution, the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, criminal procedure, special legislation and judicial decisions. In Rajasthan, the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority and District Legal Services Authorities occupy a distinctive position because they can connect victims with courts, police, hospitals, lawyers and welfare services. This article evaluates that institutional role through doctrinal and policy analysis. It examines the constitutional basis of victim-oriented legal aid, the statutory responsibilities of legal services institutions, the victim compensation framework now continued under section 396 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the practical barriers that arise between a formal entitlement and its use. The analysis identifies recurring risks: victims may receive information too late, documentary demands may be repeated, institutional referrals may remain informal, interim assistance may not match immediate need, and compensation may be treated as the end of rehabilitation. The article proposes a service model based on early contact, assisted applications, designated case responsibility, reasoned decisions, time-sensitive interim relief, secure digital coordination and voluntary follow-up. It concludes that Legal Services Authorities should be evaluated not only by the number of applications or awards processed, but by whether a victim can move through the justice system without avoidable confusion, delay or secondary victimization.