This edited volume is a pioneering and comprehensive study of crime victimisation in India. Relying on the findings of four crime victimisation surveys conducted in India, it provides a unique basis for understanding crime in society. It considers the public's fear of crime and perceptions of safety and security, focusing on their access to the police and how they view police effectiveness. This study provides critical data on the level of crime within particular spatial and temporal conditions which can supplement official statistics on crime published by the state, help systematically diagnose law and order issues and develop solutions for improved policing and public safety. A unique and timely volume, this book will be of interest to researchers of Asian criminology, victimology and the study of the criminal justice system, as well as those interested in empirical research and policy making in criminal justice.

The Indian Supreme Court is widely seen as a vanguard of progressive social change. Yet there are no systematic studies of whether its progressive decisions actually improve the lives of the relatively disadvantaged. This book presents the first collection of original empirical studies on the impact of the Indian Supreme Court's most progressive decisions. Combining original datasets with in-depth qualitative research, the chapters provide a rigorous examination of the conditions under which judicial decisions can make a difference to those in need. These studies reveal that the Indian Supreme Court, like its US counterpart, is largely constrained in its efforts. Yet, through the broad sweep of constitutional rights in the Indian Constitution, the Court's procedural innovations, and its institutional independence, the Indian Supreme Court can sometimes make a difference - in the lives of those most in need.

The Indian Supreme Court is widely seen as a vanguard of progressive social change. Yet there are no systematic studies of whether its progressive decisions actually improve the lives of the relatively disadvantaged. This book presents the first collection of original empirical studies on the impact of the Indian Supreme Court's most progressive decisions. Combining original datasets with in-depth qualitative research, the chapters provide a rigorous examination of the conditions under which judicial decisions can make a difference to those in need. These studies reveal that the Indian Supreme Court, like its US counterpart, is largely constrained in its efforts. Yet, through the broad sweep of constitutional rights in the Indian Constitution, the Court's procedural innovations, and its institutional independence, the Indian Supreme Court can sometimes make a difference - in the lives of those most in need.