Around 100 pending murder cases before Ravi Kumar Diwakar's fast-track court have been transferred to District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh through an administrative order.
Diwakar's court sentenced 22 people to death in 10 cases over the past four months, prompting apprehension among some lawyers and litigants about possible capital punishment.
Diwakar has also alleged a security lapse after his assigned gunner was removed; police said the constable was on leave and an alternative gunner was deployed.
Around 100 murder cases pending before Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravikumar Diwakar, who had delivered 22 death sentences in 10 cases in the last four months, have been transferred to the Court of the District and Sessions Judge through an administrative order, officials told PTI on Wednesday.
Government counsel Kuldeep Kumar told the news agency that the cases, involving offences punishable with death or life imprisonment, were transferred from the fast-track court headed by Diwakar to the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
Who Is Ravi Kumar Diwakar?
Ravi Kumar Diwakar is an Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fast Track Court) in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. According to the Allahabad High Court’s official profile, he was born on July 5, 1980, and is from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He joined the Uttar Pradesh judicial service as a Munsif/Civil Judge (Junior Division) on December 17, 2009, and was promoted to Civil Judge (Senior Division) on March 21, 2017.
He was confirmed as a Civil Judge (Junior Division) on August 11, 2021, and joined the Higher Judicial Service on November 20, 2023.
Diwakar completed his schooling in 1997 and intermediate education in 1999, followed by a B.Com degree in 2002. He obtained his LL.B. in 2005 and LL.M. in 2007, with all the listed qualifications recorded as second division.
He has also undergone judicial training at the Judicial Training and Research Institute (JTRI), Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, including an induction training programme, a refresher programme for civil judges and training on Ubuntu 16.04 and CIS 2.0.
Why Were 100 Cases Shifted From Ravi Kumar Diwakar?
There were apprehensions among the lawyers and litigants over the possibility of the court awarding capital punishment, District Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi said. Through an administrative order issued on Tuesday, the district judge decided to recall the cases to his own court, Tyagi said.
In the past four months, Diwakar's court has delivered judgments in 10 cases, resulting in 22 people being sentenced to death, PTI reported.
His judicial postings have included Azamgarh, Sultanpur and Kadipur-Sultanpur, among others. He served as an Additional Civil Judge (Junior Division), Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate during his postings in these districts, with one of his Sultanpur postings marked as “Fast Track.”
What Were The 22 Death Penalty Cases?
In the latest case, four men — Ramvir, Rajiv, Rahul and Harender Kumar — were sentenced to death on August 13 for killing Pawan Kumar during a firing incident linked to an old rivalry in Shamli, as per Money Control.
On August 12, Shahnawaz was awarded the death penalty for kidnapping and murdering wood trader Saleem in 1999 for a ransom of Rs 5 lakh. Earlier, on July 17, four men were sentenced to death for killing farmer Raj Singh during an attempted robbery in Shamli in 2011.
On July 6, former village head Pramod and his associate Sahdev were sentenced to death for the 2010 murder of Rajbir Singh. The court described the case as “rarest of rare”. On July 2, Deepak was sentenced to death for stabbing home guard Ratiram to death while he was on duty in 2020. The court also classified this case as “rarest of rare”.
On June 20, Gajendra and Ramkiran were sentenced to death for the murder of Rajendra Saini. On May 30, 50-year-old Rahis was awarded the death penalty for killing a woman and her six-year-old son in 2011. The court held the case to be “rarest of rare”.
On April 28, a woman and her three sons were sentenced to death in connection with a 2019 murder case. Earlier, on April 6, three people were sentenced to death for kidnapping and murdering lawyer Mohammad Sameer in 2019 over a Rs 45 lakh monetary dispute.
Judge Highlighted 'Security Lapse'
Diwakar approached the Uttar Pradesh DGP, alleging a security lapse after his assigned gunner was removed without any explanation or his prior approval. Muzaffarnagar police, however, said the constable had gone on leave and that another gunner had been assigned to the judge, as per Times of India.
The matter came to light after Diwakar’s four-page letter, dated July 30, was made public. In the letter, he alleged that a police officer had removed constable Ravindra Singh Thakurela, who had been posted as his gunner, without giving any reason. Diwakar described the move as arbitrary and alleged that it reflected negligence in ensuring adequate security for a judicial officer.
