Judge known for high death-sentence rate moved from fast-track to family court in Muzaffarnagar

Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, a 46-year-old member of the Uttar Pradesh judicial service, has been shifted from his role as presiding officer of fast-track court-3 to the position of additional principal judge in the Muzaffarnagar family court. While heading the fast-track court, he delivered 23 death sentences in Muzaffarnagar and 13 in Bareilly, prompting widespread media coverage. In August, district and sessions judge Birendra Kumar Singh ordered the recall of at least 97 pending murder and serious-offence files from Diwakar's court, a decision the judge later challenged for lacking recorded reasons.

Diwakar has previously reported threats, including those from international phone numbers, and recently complained to the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police that the removal of his gunner compromised his protection, though police said replacements were deployed. His career includes postings in Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Budaun, Varanasi, Bareilly, Chitrakoot, and now Muzaffarnagar, with earlier involvement in a disputed survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex that led to Supreme Court intervention. Shiv Kumari, another fast-track court official, has also been reassigned as part of the latest transfer order.