Penuntut

Penuntut is a term used in Indonesian and Malay to denote a person who makes an accusation or brings a claim. The word derives from tuntut, meaning to demand or claim, and appears in legal and formal language to describe the actor who asserts a right or charges another party.

In civil litigation, penuntut can refer to the party who initiates a lawsuit—the claimant or plaintiff. In contemporary Indonesian, penggugat is the standard term for the plaintiff, but penuntut can be found in older statutes, legal commentaries, and formal documents to indicate the initiator of a legal action. The opposing party is typically the tergugat (defendant).

In criminal law, the term penuntut is sometimes used to denote the prosecuting authority, especially in the phrase penuntut umum, meaning the public prosecutor. In Indonesia, the penuntut umum represents the state in criminal proceedings, responsible for initiating and conducting prosecutions, presenting evidence, and seeking appropriate penalties. The office that carries out this work is the Kejaksaan (Attorney General’s Office).

Outside formal law, penuntut can simply mean an accuser or claimant in disputes. In Malay-speaking regions, meanings align closely with Indonesian usage, though the term is most common in formal, historical, or legal contexts rather than everyday speech. Context typically determines whether penuntut refers to a private claimant in civil matters or to a public prosecutor in criminal matters.