GETTING THREATS FROM INTERNATIONAL PHONE NUMBERS, SAYS GYANVAPI JUDGE

BAREILLY: Additional sessions judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar has raised concerns over receiving "malicious calls and death threats from international numbers". The judge, who was in the news for his directive for a videography survey of the Gyanvapi complex in 2022, has sought an investigation on the threats to him. Earlier, following similar threat concerns raised by the judge soon after the Gyanvapi judgment, Allahabad high court had ordered Y-category security for him and his family, which was later downgraded to X-category.

Recently transferred to Bareilly, Justice Diwakar had initiated suo motu action on the 2018 Bareilly riots case, summoning senior cleric Tauqeer Raza to face trial for being the alleged mastermind.

In a letter to the SSP, the judge said this week he was receiving malicious calls from international numbers, "which is deeply concerning." He said he conveyed his apprehensions to Bareilly SSP Sushil Chandrabhan Ghule. The judge's current security detail includes two security personnel. One of his associates said the security is not sufficient as the two personnel are not equipped with weapons to combat terrorists, who carry automatic guns and modern weapons.

A Popular Front of India (PFI) agent was arrested near the judge's residence in Lucknow last year. Shahjahanpur SSP Ashok Kumar Meena had then deployed a gunner at the residence of Justice Diwakar's brother, who is also an additional district judge. However, the security cover was removed due to Lok Sabha polls.