In a notable courtroom statement, Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar declared on Monday that he would rather face death than be labeled a ‘coward judge’ while sentencing a defendant to capital punishment in a dowry death case. The judge also claimed that numerous serious cases had been removed from his court to aid criminal organizations and mafias, raising concerns about the influence of these groups on the judicial process.
Asserting that he would not discharge his duties under pressure from strongmen, mafias, gangsters or criminals, the judge observed that performing duties out of fear would erode public faith in the judicial system. Furthermore, noting that his parents had taught him to fear only God, the fast-track judge stated that he would continue serving only as long as he could follow his principles. The judge made these remarks while pronouncing his judgment and awarding the death penalty to a man who burnt his wife over dowry demands, as per the report.
The judge emphasised that he would not discharge his judicial duties “under pressure from mafias, gangsters or criminals,” according to a report by news agency PTI. Diwakar, in his judgment, said he would prefer death to being known as a coward judge.
Security threats and case withdrawals
The judge reportedly sought protection from senior officers after his security cover in Muzaffarnagar was allegedly curtailed.
