UP Judge Awards 23rd Death Sentence Amid Claims of Mafia Pressure

Additional District and Sessions judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar has ordered the death penalty for a man convicted of burning his wife over dowry demands. This ruling marks the 23rd death sentence handed down by Diwakar across 11 cases within a four month period. During the proceedings, the judge declared that he would prefer death over being called a coward and stated that he would not discharge his duties under pressure from mafias, gangsters, or criminals.

Judge Diwakar alleged that approximately 100 serious cases were recalled from his court to benefit criminals and mafias. He also reported receiving threats and sought protection from senior officers after his security cover in Muzaffarnagar was allegedly curtailed. These remarks follow an August administrative order that transferred around 100 murder cases from Diwakar to the court of District and Sessions judge Virendra Kumar Singh. According to District Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi, this mass transfer occurred due to concerns among lawyers and litigants that the fast track court would award capital punishment.

In the specific case decided on Monday, the court convicted a man named Nadeem under Sections 302 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code. Although all 11 prosecution witnesses turned hostile, the court based the conviction on the dying declaration of the victim, Shehzadi, who died from burn injuries in 2018.