22 Death Sentences in 4 Months: 97 Cases Shifted From His Court

Uttar Pradesh judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar sentenced 22 people to death in 10 cases between April and August 2026, followed by a 23rd death sentence in September.

22 Death Sentences in 4 Months, Then 97 Cases Taken Away!

In just over four months, a judge in Uttar Pradesh sentenced 22 people to death in 10 criminal cases. The judge, Ravi Kumar Diwakar, was serving as an Additional District and Sessions Judge at Fast Track Court No. 3 in Muzaffarnagar.

The cases involved murders, including the killings of a lawyer, a farmer and a Home Guard personnel member. Soon after the sentences drew attention, 97 pending criminal cases were recalled from his court. Diwakar later questioned the legality of this decision.

Here is what to know about the judge, his death penalty rulings and the controversy surrounding the transferred cases.

Who Is Ravi Kumar Diwakar?

Ravi Kumar Diwakar was born on July 5, 1980. He joined the Uttar Pradesh judicial service on December 17, 2009. He began his career as an Additional Civil Judge in Azamgarh. He later served in Sultanpur, Budaun, Varanasi, Bareilly and Chitrakoot. In November 2025, he joined Fast Track Court No. 3 in Muzaffarnagar as an Additional District and Sessions Judge.

Diwakar first became widely known in 2022, when he was serving as a Civil Judge in Varanasi. He ordered a videographic survey of the Gyanvapi complex, which is at the centre of a major legal and religious dispute.

22 Death Sentences Between April and August 2026

Between April 6 and August 13, 2026, Diwakar's court sentenced 22 people to death across 10 cases. The rulings involved serious crimes dating back several years.

Some of the cases included:

April 6: Three people were sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of lawyer Mohammad Sameer in a 2019 case.
April 28: A woman and her three sons were sentenced to death for the murder of Shekhar. The prosecution said the killing followed a dispute over a loan of Rs.70,000.
May 30: Rahis, also known as Zahid, was sentenced to death for the murders of Rajesh Devi and her six-year-old son, Himanshu.
June 20: Gajendra and Ramkiran were sentenced to death for murdering Rajendra Saini. The court classified the crime as a “rarest of rare” case.
July 2: Deepak was sentenced to death for killing Home Guard Ratiram while he was on duty.
July 6: Two men were sentenced to death for the 2010 murder of Rajbir Singh, a case the prosecution linked to a panchayat election dispute.
July 17: Four men were sentenced to death for the 2011 murder of farmer Raj Singh. The prosecution said the killing took place during a robbery.
August 12: Shahnawaz was sentenced to death for kidnapping and killing wood trader Saleem in a case dating back to 1999.
August 13: Four men were sentenced to death for the 2014 murder of farmer Pawan Kumar in Shamli.

These rulings brought the reported total to 22 people sentenced to death in 10 cases.

Why Were 97 Cases Recalled From His Court?

On August 18, 2026, the Muzaffarnagar District and Sessions Judge ordered the recall of 97 pending criminal cases from Diwakar's court. The cases involved murder and other serious offences that could carry the death penalty or life imprisonment. The files were transferred to the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.

The administrative order did not publicly state a reason for the move. Muzaffarnagar District Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi said some lawyers and people involved in the cases were concerned that Diwakar might award death sentences in the pending matters. However, Tyagi also said transferring cases falls within the District Judge's administrative powers and can be a routine process.

The Judge Questions the Case Transfers

The controversy developed further in September. On September 7, Diwakar sentenced a man named Nadeem to death for the 2018 murder of his wife, Shahzadi. This was his 23rd death sentence of 2026.

In a later judgment, Diwakar questioned the legality of the August 18 orders recalling the 97 cases. He argued that the cases were already partly heard and questioned whether the District Judge had the authority to recall them without giving reasons. He described the orders as unlawful and without jurisdiction. These were Diwakar's legal observations; they do not, by themselves, establish that the transfer orders were legally invalid.

The dispute has raised questions about how criminal cases are transferred between courts and what rules apply when a trial has already begun.

Can a Sessions Court's Death Sentence Be Carried Out Immediately?

No. In India, when a Sessions Court awards the death penalty, the sentence must be confirmed by the High Court before it can be carried out. The accused can also challenge the conviction and sentence through the legal process. This means a death sentence at the trial court level is not the final stage of the case.

Diwakar had also awarded 13 death sentences during his earlier posting in Bareilly. Adding the 22 sentences from Muzaffarnagar between April and August brought his reported total to 35 people sentenced to death before his 23rd Muzaffarnagar sentence in September raised that total further.

Why Is Ravi Kumar Diwakar in the News?

Diwakar is now in the spotlight for two connected developments: his high number of death sentences and his objections to the recall of 97 pending cases from his court. The administrative transfer and the judge's later legal objections have drawn attention to judicial powers, case allocation and the handling of serious criminal trials. The reasons for the original transfer were not stated in the order, and the judge's objections should be understood as his legal position rather than a final ruling on the matter.

The controversy remains an important development in Uttar Pradesh's judicial system.