Human Rights Law Commons^™

This paper discusses the atrocities committed by police officials belonging to a Joint Special Task Force (JSTF) established by the state governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in India to capture Veerappan – a well-known forest brigand. The paper traces the widespread use of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances of persons from poor and underprivileged communities living on the borders of Satyamangalam forest in this context. It analyzes the atrocities through the lens of international legal standards as well as Indian criminal law. It critically evaluates the responses of Indian state and democratic institutions, including …

The article advocates an integration of victims' rights within the Indian legal framework, to be balanced with the rights of the accused and standards of fair trial.

In the first part, the article discusses international norms and standards related to three aspects of victims' rights: protection, participation and reparations.

In the second part, the article discusses existing statutory law, judicial interpretations and recommendations / reports / policies for law reform in India, with regard to each of the three aspects of victims' rights.

The third part of the article discusses the challenges faced when integrating a victims' perspective within the …

The article is a critique of Prevention of Communal and Targetted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011, using the standards of Indian and international jurisprudence, with an incorporation of human rights and gender perspectives.