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Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, while handing down his 23rd death sentence in the past four months in a dowry death case on Monday, said he would rather die than be known as a "coward judge".

In his judgment sentencing a man to death for allegedly setting his wife on fire over dowry demands, the fast-track judge said he would not allow pressure from mafias, gangsters or criminals to influence the discharge of his judicial responsibilities.

Diwakar said his parents had taught him to fear only God and no one else. He observed that if judges began performing their duties out of fear of powerful individuals, mafias, gangsters or criminals, public confidence in the judiciary would suffer.

The judge said he would choose death over being remembered as a coward and would continue to serve as long as he was able to uphold his principles.

In his judgment, Diwakar also said he had received threats from mafias and criminals. He alleged that around 100 serious cases had been taken away from his court, purportedly to benefit such elements.

Diwakar is also learnt to have approached senior officials seeking protection, claiming that his security cover in Muzaffarnagar had been reduced.

Man Sentenced To Death For Burning Wife

In the case decided on Monday, Diwakar's court convicted Nadeem under Sections 302 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh, government counsel Kuldeep Kumar said.

The case dates back to July 23, 2018, when Nadeem allegedly set his 23-year-old wife, Shehzadi, on fire in Shahpur town over dowry demands.

Shehzadi was taken to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital in a critical condition, where she subsequently died. According to the government counsel, she named Nadeem as the person who had set her ablaze in a statement recorded before her death.

Despite all 11 prosecution witnesses turning hostile during the trial, the court convicted Nadeem on the basis of Shehzadi's dying declaration, the government counsel said.

23 Death Sentences In 11 Cases

With Monday's verdict, Diwakar's court has awarded capital punishment to 23 people in 11 cases over the last four months, according to government counsel Kuldeep Kumar.

Earlier in August, nearly 100 murder cases pending before Diwakar were transferred to the court of District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Singh through an administrative order.

District Bar Association president Pramod Tyagi had said the transfer followed concerns among lawyers and litigants that the fast-track court could award capital punishment in the cases pending before it.