The Supreme Court has asked courts to liberally award monetary compensation to victims in criminal cases, saying failure to pay the amount by the accused could make him liable for further imprisonment. A bench of Justices P Sathasivam and H L Dattu in a judgement on Wednesday urged the courts to exercise the powers of awarding monetary compensation liberally to render justice to the victims in criminal cases. The apex court noted that though such powers are vested under Section 357(3) of the CrPC, they are seldom used by courts. The bench said monetary compensation is a measure of responding appropriately to crime as well of reconciling the victim with the offender. The Judges noted that it is, to some extent, a constructive approach to crimes and indeed a step forward in criminal justice system.<br/>