A judge in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced 22 people to death in 10 cases over a period of about four months.
Now, 97 pending criminal case files have been recalled from his court in Muzaffarnagar and shifted to the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
The judge is Ravi Kumar Diwakar, an Additional District and Sessions Judge at a fast-track court in Muzaffarnagar. The development has drawn attention because of the number of death sentences his court has handed down in recent months.
But the transfer itself should not be read as a finding against the judge. The available reports describe it as an administrative move, with the local Bar Association president saying lawyers and litigants had expressed apprehension about the possibility of capital punishment in pending cases.
So, who is Ravi Kumar Diwakar, and what led to the latest attention around his court?
What Happened In Muzaffarnagar?
A total of 97 pending case files involving murder and other serious offences have been recalled from Diwakar's court, according to the latest report from The Times of India. The cases were moved to the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
The move came after Diwakar's court sentenced 22 convicts to death in 10 cases over four months.
The timing has attracted attention, but there is no reported finding that Diwakar was removed from these cases because any of his verdicts were found to be wrong or because of judicial misconduct.
Muzaffarnagar District Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi said there had been apprehension among lawyers and litigants about the possibility of death sentences being awarded in pending cases. At the same time, the transfer has been described in reports as an administrative exercise.
That distinction matters. The transfer of the cases does not by itself establish wrongdoing by the judge.
Who Is Ravi Kumar Diwakar?
Ravi Kumar Diwakar is a 46-year-old Additional District and Sessions Judge currently posted at a fast-track court in Muzaffarnagar.
According to the Allahabad High Court's official records, Diwakar was born on 5 July 1980 and joined the Uttar Pradesh judicial service on 17 December 2009. He holds BCom, LLB and LLM degrees.
He began as an Additional Civil Judge (Junior Division) in Azamgarh in December 2009. He was later posted to Sultanpur, where he served in several judicial positions, including as a Judicial Magistrate from October 2015.
His subsequent postings included Budaun, Varanasi, Bareilly and Chitrakoot. He joined as an Additional District and Sessions Judge at the fast-track court in Muzaffarnagar on 29 November 2025.
Diwakar first came into the national spotlight in 2022 while serving as a Civil Judge (Senior Division) in Varanasi. He ordered a videography survey of the Gyanvapi complex in a case concerning the right to worship at the Shringar Gauri site.
The order made him a prominent figure in the Gyanvapi proceedings and brought considerable public attention to his court.
22 Death Sentences In Four Months
Diwakar's Muzaffarnagar court has sentenced 22 people to death across 10 cases since he took charge there, according to recent reports.
The cases reported so far include:
Mohammad Sameer murder: On 6 April, three people were sentenced to death in the kidnapping and murder of lawyer Mohammad Sameer in a case dating back to 2019. The prosecution alleged that the killing followed a monetary dispute.
2019 murder case: On 28 April, a woman and her three sons were sentenced to death for the murder of Shekhar, who was allegedly beaten to death after demanding repayment of a Rs. 70,000 loan.
Rajesh Devi and Himanshu murder: On 30 May, 50-year-old Rahis alias Zahid was sentenced to death for the 2011 murders of Rajesh Devi and her six-year-old son Himanshu. The prosecution said the victims were taken to a sugarcane field and killed with bricks after an argument.
Rajendra Saini murder: On 20 June, Gajendra and Ramkiran were sentenced to death in the murder case. The court treated the offence as falling within the “rarest of rare” category.
Home Guard Ratiram murder: On 2 July, Deepak was sentenced to death for killing Home Guard Ratiram while he was on duty. The court held that the circumstances warranted the maximum punishment.
Rajbir Singh murder: On 6 July, two men were sentenced to death in the 2010 murder of 60-year-old Rajbir Singh, with the prosecution linking the killing to a panchayat election rivalry.
Raj Singh murder: On 17 July, four men were sentenced to death in connection with the 2011 killing of farmer Raj Singh during an alleged robbery attempt.
Saleem kidnapping and murder: On 12 August, Shahnawaz was sentenced to death for kidnapping and killing wood trader Saleem in a 1999 case. The prosecution alleged that the killing was linked to a ransom demand.
Pawan Kumar murder: On 13 August, four men were sentenced to death for the 2014 murder of farmer Pawan Kumar in Shamli. The prosecution alleged that the attack stemmed from an earlier dispute.
Together, these reported cases account for the 22 death sentences handed down by the court across 10 cases.
Why Were The Cases Transferred?
This is the part that needs careful wording.
The latest reports say 97 pending case files were recalled from Diwakar's court and moved to District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
The development followed the recent attention around the 22 death sentences.
Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi said lawyers and litigants had expressed apprehension about the possibility of capital punishment in cases pending before the court.
However, the available reporting does not establish that the judge was removed from these cases because his death sentences were found to be legally incorrect or because he had committed misconduct.
The safer description is that the cases were reallocated through an administrative decision.
The transfer also does not determine the eventual outcome of any of those cases. They will now continue before the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
Are The 22 Death Sentences Final?
No. A death sentence passed by a Sessions Court cannot be executed unless it is confirmed by the High Court. Under Section 366 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, proceedings involving a Sessions Court death sentence must be submitted to the High Court for confirmation.
The High Court can confirm the death sentence, impose another sentence, alter the conviction or otherwise dispose of the case according to law.
That means the 22 sentences handed down by Diwakar's court are not equivalent to 22 executions. The accused have access to the appellate process, and the Allahabad High Court will have to examine the death references.
Why The Numbers Matter
The number of death sentences is notable because of the short period in which they were imposed.
For comparison, the Square Circle Clinic at NALSAR University's annual 2025 report recorded 128 people being sentenced to death by trial courts across India in 94 cases during the whole of 2025. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of people sentenced to death by Sessions Courts, with 28.
Diwakar's court has sentenced 22 people to death in 10 cases over roughly four months.
That number, by itself, does not establish that the verdicts were legally incorrect. Each case has to go through the appellate process and the required High Court scrutiny.
The broader death penalty data also shows why trial-court sentences should not be treated as final outcomes. The Square Circle Clinic's 2025 report found that, over the previous decade, High Courts confirmed only a small proportion of death sentences that they considered.
For the 97 cases now moved from Diwakar's court, the immediate change is straightforward: they will continue before District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
TL;DR | News At Glance
What happened?
A total of 97 pending criminal case files were recalled from Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar's fast-track court in Muzaffarnagar and moved to District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
Why did the move attract attention?
It came after Diwakar's court sentenced 22 people to death in 10 cases over about four months.
Who is Ravi Kumar Diwakar?
He is a 46-year-old Additional District and Sessions Judge who joined the Uttar Pradesh judicial service in 2009. He has also served as a Civil Judge in Varanasi, where he ordered the 2022 videography survey of the Gyanvapi complex.
Are the 22 death sentences final?
No. Death sentences passed by a Sessions Court must be confirmed by the High Court before they can be executed.
Does the transfer mean Diwakar did something wrong?
There is no reported finding of misconduct linked to the transfer. The cases were recalled through an administrative process.
What happens to the 97 cases now?
They will continue before District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh.
