22 sentenced to death in 10 cases: UP court's 4-month crime crackdown record

A Muzaffarnagar court has awarded death sentences to 22 convicts in 10 cases over four months. The sentences were handed down by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar between April and August 2026.

In Short

• Muzaffarnagar court sentenced 22 to death in 10 cases over four months
• Cases include murder of lawyer, home guard, highway robbery and others
• Sentences given between April and August this year

A court in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar has sentenced 22 people to death in 10 cases over the past four months, including cases involving the murder of a lawyer, the killing of a home guard, highway robbery and other murders, government lawyer Kuldeep Kumar said on Monday.

The sentences were handed down by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar between April and August 2026.

According to Kumar, three people were sentenced to death on April 6 in the murder of lawyer Sameer Safi. Four others received the death penalty on April 28, followed by one on May 20 and two on June 20.

The court awarded another death sentence on July 2, two on July 6 and four on July 17. In August, one person was sentenced to death on August 12, followed by four more on August 13.

In the latest case, the court on August 12 sentenced Shahnawaz to death for abducting and murdering wood trader Saleem for ransom nearly 27 years ago. He was also fined Rs 1.10 lakh.

A day later, the fast-track court sentenced four men — Ramvir, Rajiv, Rahul and Harender Kumar — to death for the 2014 murder of Pawan Kumar.

Judge Diwakar also imposed a fine of Rs 1.70 lakh on the convicts.

According to the prosecution, the four men entered Pawan Kumar's house in Bhabhisa village in Shamli district on July 14, 2014, and opened fire following an old enmity.

Pawan was killed, while his brother Ashok Kumar sustained bullet injuries and later filed the complaint.

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