Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar transferred to family court in Uttar Pradesh

Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, who awarded 36 death sentences across two different courts in 16 months, has been transferred to the family court in Muzaffarnagar. The Allahabad High Court issued the order, appointing Diwakar as the Additional Principal Judge of the family court.

Diwakar previously presided over a fast-track court, where he handed down 23 death sentences in 11 cases between April and September of this year. His tenure drew attention following an August administrative order by the then District and Sessions Judge, Birendra Kumar Singh, which recalled 97 pending cases involving murder and other serious offenses from his court.

In a recent 35-page judgment, Diwakar questioned the legality of withdrawing part-heard cases through administrative orders without following prescribed legal procedures. He also raised concerns regarding judicial independence and the extent of administrative powers exercised by district judges.