An Additional District and Sessions Judge in Uttar Pradesh, Ravi Kumar Diwakar, has garnered significant attention after his court handed down 23 death sentences across 11 cases within a four-month period. Judge Diwakar is now further in the spotlight following allegations of facing pressure and threats from "mafias, gangsters, and criminals" after approximately 100 serious criminal cases were transferred from his court.
Judge Diwakar's Judicial Career and Controversies
Ravi Kumar Diwakar began his judicial service in Uttar Pradesh as a civil judge in 2009, serving in various districts including Sultanpur, Budaun, Varanasi, and Bareilly before his posting in Muzaffarnagar in November 2025.
He first rose to national prominence in 2022 during his tenure as a civil judge in Varanasi. At that time, he ordered a videographic survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex, a decision that attracted widespread media coverage and, according to Diwakar, led to him receiving death threats and malicious international calls.
In March 2024, Diwakar again made headlines for describing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a "philosopher king" in an order related to the 2010 Bareilly riots. These remarks were subsequently expunged by the Allahabad High Court.
Allegations of Pressure and Case Transfers
The latest controversy surrounding Judge Diwakar stems from an administrative order in August that transferred around 100 murder cases from his court to District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh. This move reportedly followed concerns among lawyers and litigants regarding the fast-track court's propensity for awarding capital punishment.
Government counsel Kuldeep Kumar confirmed that Diwakar's court had awarded the death penalty to 23 convicts in 11 cases over the preceding four months. The transferred cases included high-profile murders of a lawyer, a home guard, a farmer, and a highway robbery-murder.
"I Would Prefer Death to Being Called a Coward Judge"
In his most recent judgment, Judge Diwakar openly addressed the immense pressure he claims to have experienced while presiding over serious criminal cases. He stated, “I would prefer death to being called a coward judge,” emphasizing that his parents instilled in him the belief to fear God alone.
Diwakar argued that if judges were to perform their duties out of fear of criminals, public trust in the judiciary would erode significantly. He also asserted that he had received direct threats from mafias and criminals, and it is understood that he has sought enhanced protection from senior officials, alleging that his security cover in Muzaffarnagar has been reduced.
The Latest Death Penalty Verdict
The most recent case in which Judge Diwakar’s court imposed a death sentence involved a man convicted of burning his 23-year-old wife to death due to dowry demands. The victim was set ablaze on July 23, 2018, and later died at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital. Before her passing, she provided a dying declaration, naming Nadeem as her assailant.
Despite all 11 prosecution witnesses turning hostile during the trial, the court convicted Nadeem based solely on his wife’s dying declaration. The court subsequently sentenced him to death and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Judge Diwakar’s recent remarks and actions have once again drawn national attention to a judicial figure whose career has repeatedly intersected with some of Uttar Pradesh’s most closely watched and contentious legal matters.