22 Death Sentences for 10 Cases in 4 Months
Indiadailyupdate.com – Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, has become the subject of intense public debate after delivering 22 death sentences for 10 cases within a four-month window. The unprecedented concentration of capital verdicts from a single bench has drawn scrutiny from legal commentators, media outlets, and citizens across the state, prompting questions about sentencing patterns, judicial discretion, and the broader climate around crime adjudication in Uttar Pradesh.
Who Is Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar?
Diwakar, 46, joined the Uttar Pradesh judiciary in 2009 as an additional civil judge posted to Azamgarh. Over more than fifteen years of service he has held several district-level assignments before assuming his current posting in Muzaffarnagar. He first entered the national spotlight in 2022 when, presiding over proceedings connected to the Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi, he ordered a videography survey of the site — a directive that dominated headlines for weeks and placed his name firmly in the public conversation. Since then, his rulings have attracted a degree of media attention uncommon for a district-level judge.
The Four-Month Verdict Streak
The sequence of capital judgments began on April 6, when three convicts were sentenced to death for the murder of advocate Sameer Saifi. Later that same month, a woman and her three sons received identical sentences in a separate homicide matter, bringing the early tally to seven within weeks of the first batch.
The pace did not slow through the summer. On May 30, one additional convict was handed the ultimate penalty. Two more followed on June 20. July proved the most intensive month of the streak, with seven convicts across three distinct cases receiving death sentences in a single calendar month. The run extended into August: one more individual was sentenced on the 12th, and four additional convicts received the same verdict on August 13 in connection with a murder committed twelve years earlier.
Government lawyer Kuldeep Kumar confirmed the aggregate figures to PTI, stating that overall 22 persons were convicted in 10 cases and sentenced to death within the four-month period. The confirmation underscored that the tally was not a media exaggeration but a verified judicial record.
Older Cases Resurfaced at the Bench
Several matters before Diwakar stretched back decades, illustrating how long pending cases can remain unresolved before reaching final judgment. One conviction dated to 2020 involved the killing of a home guard. Another, tracing to 2011, concerned a highway robbery that ended in murder. Most recently, the court sentenced a man to death for the abduction and killing of a wood trader — a crime committed in 1999, making it 27 years old at the time of judgment. The convicted man, Shahnawaz, was additionally fined ₹1.10 lakh.
In the twelve-year-old murder case decided on August 13, the judge levied a fine of ₹1.70 lakh on four convicts — Ramvir, Rajiv, Rahul, and Harender Kumar — who were found guilty of killing Pawan Kumar out of a longstanding enmity. The imposition of monetary penalties alongside capital sentences reflects the court’s practice of addressing both retributive and compensatory dimensions of justice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many death sentences did Judge Diwakar pass in four months? A total of 22 death sentences for 10 cases were handed down between April and August 2026, as confirmed by government counsel to PTI.
Where does Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar serve? He is posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, having joined the state judiciary in 2009.
What was the oldest case among the verdicts? The murder of a wood trader committed in 1999, making it 27 years old at the time of sentencing. The convict, Shahnawaz, received both the death penalty and a fine of ₹1.10 lakh.
Did all 22 convicts receive the same sentence? Yes. Across all ten cases, every convicted individual was sentenced to death. In several matters the court also imposed additional monetary fines on the convicts.
