100 Murder Cases Moved to District Judge’s Court Following 22 Recent Death Sentences

Around 100 murder cases pending before Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravikumar Diwakar have been transferred to the court of the District and Sessions Judge following an administrative order, officials said on Wednesday.

The cases, involving offences punishable by death or life imprisonment, were pending before Diwakar’s fast-track court. They have now been transferred to the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh, government counsel Kuldeep Kumar told PTI. The transfer comes after concerns were reportedly raised among lawyers and litigants over the possibility of the fast-track court awarding capital punishment in cases before it.

District Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi said the district judge decided to recall the cases to his own court through an administrative order issued on Tuesday. The decision applies to around 100 murder cases that had been pending before Diwakar.

The development has drawn attention because of the pace and nature of recent judgments delivered by Diwakar’s court. Over the past four months, the court has pronounced judgments in 10 cases, with 22 accused being sentenced to death.

The cases transferred to the district judge’s court include matters where the charges carry either a death sentence or life imprisonment, making them among the most serious criminal proceedings before the judiciary.

The administrative transfer does not itself determine the outcome of the cases, and proceedings will continue before the court of the District and Sessions Judge. The move is being viewed as an administrative decision amid concerns expressed by members of the legal community and litigants.

The transfer also places the focus on the handling of capital punishment cases, which require detailed judicial scrutiny given the severity of the sentence and the consequences for the accused.

Officials said the cases would now be dealt with by the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh in accordance with the established legal process. The development comes after Diwakar’s recent judgments brought increased attention to the fast-track court’s handling of serious criminal cases.