Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, known for awarding 23 death sentences in six months, has been transferred from a fast-track court to a family court in Muzaffarnagar by the Allahabad High Court. The transfer follows his questioning of administrative orders that withdrew 97 part-heard cases from his court and his concerns about judicial independence.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Muzaffarnagar has declared he would prefer death over being a "coward judge," delivering his 23rd capital punishment in four months, this time in a dowry death case. He asserted he would not succumb to pressure from mafias and criminals, despite receiving threats and having numerous cases transferred from his court.
District and sessions courts in Pune, Thane, Hingoli, and Beed, Maharashtra, received email threats of bomb blasts on Monday. This led to evacuations, extensive searches by police, dog squads, and Bomb Detection & Disposal Squads (BDDS). While nothing suspicious has been found so far, cybercrime units are investigating the source of these emails, which are suspected to be hoaxes.
A man in Nanded has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his brother in 2023. The crime occurred due to a dispute over a farm plot, where the accused bludgeoned his brother to death with a stone.
A court in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district has sentenced a man's wife, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law to life imprisonment for his murder. The case dates back to June 24, 2009, when the victim, Shivlal Pasi, allegedly died by consuming poison after being harassed by his in-laws. The court convicted the three based on evidence and witness statements, also imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 on each.
The Kerala High Court has ordered police not to arrest an Additional District and Sessions Judge whose 17-year-old son was involved in a fatal car accident. The judge sought anticipatory bail after being named an accused. The victim's family expressed disappointment but vowed to continue their legal fight, while police continue their investigation.
An Additional District and Sessions Judge has been arraigned as an accused after his 17-year-old son allegedly drove a Mercedes-Benz and killed a scooterist in Kochi. The incident led to protests, a transfer of the probe to the District Crime Branch, and a debate in the Keralam Assembly, highlighting concerns over police handling and parental responsibility.
The Supreme Court has permitted Ashish Mishra, an accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case and son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra, to travel to his hometown for Diwali celebrations. The court also emphasised the need for a timely conclusion of the trial, noting that 90 out of 131 witnesses have been examined and a new judge and prosecutor have been appointed.
A Thane court has sentenced Pravin Santosh Mukane to eight years' rigorous imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in a 2018 assault case. Another accused, Satyawan Balkrishna Waghe, was acquitted. The incident involved a dispute where the victim was hit on the head with a wooden rod and later died.
A 17-year-old son of an Additional Sessions Judge was taken into custody after his Mercedes-Benz car allegedly hit and killed a 54-year-old man in Kerala. The initial release on bail sparked protests, leading to graver charges and a re-arrest.
Police in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district have arrested two youths, Joy Pal and Debabrata Mallick, for allegedly raping two girls, including a 13-year-old. The arrests followed a complaint after one victim went missing, and further investigation revealed a second victim. A case has been registered under the POCSO Act.
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has busted an illegal digital telephone exchange in Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar district, leading to one arrest. The setup, operating as 'NS Enterprise', allegedly bypassed ILD gateways and facilitated automated calls linked to suspected cyber fraud. Investigations are ongoing, with seized equipment being analysed.
A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has sentenced a 32-year-old autorickshaw driver to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for attempting to murder his estranged wife and stabbing a man who intervened. The attack, which occurred in November 2021, left his wife with a 40% permanent disability in both hands.
A court in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced four individuals Rohit Yadav, Shekhar Yadav, Jawaharlal Gond, and Om Prakash to life imprisonment for the murder of 20-year-old Rohit Pandey in 2024. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.85 lakh on each convict. The victim was attacked with sharp-edged weapons on July 20, 2024, and later succumbed to his injuries, leading to a complaint and chargesheet.
A 51-year-old convict, Sreenivasan, serving a life sentence for murder, was found hanging in his cell at Poojapura Central Prison in Thiruvananthapuram. Police registered an FIR and are investigating the incident. Sreenivasan had been diagnosed with cancer and was reportedly depressed.
The second edition of the 'Adi Kailash High Altitude Ultra Marathon' has begun in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, attracting over 1,100 participants from 26 states across various challenging races, including 70 km and 42 km events.
A special court in Latur, Maharashtra, has sentenced Chumbalya alias Ritesh Rajnand Kasbe to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl last year. The verdict was delivered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act, with the court also imposing a Rs 5,000 fine.
A special court in Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced Sande Sagar alias Sunil to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sodomising a seven-year-old boy. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000, to be paid to the victim. The incident occurred on March 7 last year, and a case was registered on March 8, 2025.
The son of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch, Tirath Singh, was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside a gurdwara in Chite Kalan village, Amritsar, on Monday night. His brother alleged the attack was due to their stance against drug peddlers, though police suggest old enmity. The incident has drawn strong criticism from opposition parties against the Bhagwant Mann government over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab, citing a series of recent killings.
Actor Dhanush has reorganised his fan club into a welfare movement, 'Dhanush Narpani Iyakkam', sparking widespread speculation in Tamil Nadu about his potential entry into politics, despite the actor not officially announcing any such ambitions.
A POCSO court in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced a man named Garibe to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 30,000 for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in April 2024. The conviction followed a swift investigation and chargesheet filing.
The alleged killer of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Punjab's Mansa district has been arrested from Rajasthan. Jhota was murdered on Tuesday after confronting the accused, a medical store owner, for allegedly selling drugs. The incident, captured on Facebook Live, led to widespread condemnation and protests against the state government.
A court in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district has sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment for cow slaughter, citing Hindu scriptures like the Manusmriti and Vedas to emphasise the religious significance of cows and their role in material prosperity and dharma.
An MP-MLA court in Sultanpur has set October 26 as the date to pronounce its verdict in a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi. The case stems from alleged objectionable remarks made by Gandhi against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018. Gandhi is required to appear in court on the verdict day.
Ravita and Amardeep, sentenced to death for the snakebite murder of Ravita's husband, have been moved to separate barracks in Meerut district jail. Prison authorities noted their restlessness, and no visitors have come since the sentencing. The case, decided under 'Operation Conviction', involved strangulation disguised as a snakebite.
Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has assured a government job to the eldest of two girls whose parents and paternal grandmother were murdered by a neighbour. The minister met the girls and promised to take steps to secure the job, which was also recommended by the court that sentenced the killer to death.
A local court in Bahraich has acquitted Ankita Jaiswal and Dilip Kumar Patel in a 2021 poisoning case that led to the death of a two-year-old and illness of four others. The court found circumstantial evidence insufficient. Ankita had been jailed since August 2021 and received free legal aid.
A court in Meerut has sentenced a woman and her lover to death for the murder of her husband. The duo attempted to disguise the murder as a snakebite by placing a live snake near the body, but a post-mortem revealed strangulation.
The Allahabad High Court has overturned a 1988 conviction of a man named Subhash in a 1986 rape and kidnapping case, citing the prosecution's failure to establish proof beyond reasonable doubt. The court observed that the woman, who was over 19 at the time, appeared to be a consenting party, and found glaring inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, which was not corroborated by medical or oral evidence, leading to the acquittal.
A court in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for a 2012 murder stemming from a property dispute, with each also fined Rs 25,500.
A court in Meerut has sentenced a woman and her lover to death for strangling her husband and placing a live snake beside his body to make it appear as a snakebite death. The elaborate murder plot was uncovered after a post-mortem revealed strangulation marks, leading to their conviction under 'Operation Conviction'.
A fast-track court in Nashik, Maharashtra, has sentenced Vijay Sanjay Khairnar to death for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl late last year. The court termed the gruesome crime "rarest of the rare" and also ordered Rs 10 lakh financial assistance for the victim's family. The prosecution, led by Ujwal Nikam, relied on circumstantial evidence and witness testimonies to secure the conviction.
India's visually-impaired judokas snared two medals at the Asian Para Games on Monday with Kokila winning a silver in women's J2 -52kg category and Kapil Parmar clinching a bronze in the men's J1 -70kg division.
A Thane court has acquitted a 35-year-old man accused of rape under the pretext of marriage, ruling that the relationship was consensual. The court cited a Supreme Court precedent, noting that a promise of marriage made after the first sexual encounter does not constitute a false promise.
The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory for heavy vehicular movement and restrictions around the Parliament complex ahead of the Monsoon Session and a planned 'Chalo Sansad' march by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Security has been significantly intensified across New Delhi, with additional personnel, barricades, and checks to manage traffic and maintain law and order during the protest against alleged NEET irregularities.
The Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against 15 individuals in the Kishtwar minor's rape and death case. The chargesheet alleges a criminal conspiracy to conceal the sexual assault, intimidate the victim's family, and illegally terminate her advanced pregnancy. The 15-year-old tribal girl died on August 20 following an alleged abortion attempt after being repeatedly sexually assaulted by a teacher, resulting in pregnancy. Accused include the main perpetrator, health workers, and community elders involved in the cover-up and pressure tactics.
A Delhi court has upheld cheating and criminal conspiracy proceedings against M3M India Pvt Ltd and its promoters in an alleged Rs 450-crore land fraud case. The case involves allegations by MGF Developments Ltd regarding a land exchange deal where M3M allegedly failed to pay the full consideration. While criminal breach of trust charges were set aside, the court directed the trial court to proceed expeditiously on cheating and conspiracy charges.
Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, sentenced to death for the murder of Muskan's husband Saurabh Rajput, spent a distressed first night in jail and are now preparing to challenge the verdict in the Allahabad High Court.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Muzaffarnagar has publicly questioned the administrative recall of 97 serious criminal cases from his court. His remarks, made in an acquittal order, highlight concerns about judicial independence and the legality of withdrawing "part-heard" cases without proper procedure, especially after he had delivered 23 death sentences.
The Supreme Court has strongly criticised the Allahabad High Court for releasing two men, convicted in a 2003 knife and gun attack case, on probation. The apex court stated that the High Court showed "misplaced sympathy" and allowed the accused to go "scot-free" without imprisonment, despite the brutality of the crime and grievous injuries to the victim. The Supreme Court set aside the High Court's order and directed the accused to surrender within two weeks.
