A finger guard is not a very common feature, although not super rare in tulwars. As pointed out by Edward F, it is a transitional feature indicative of a switch from a full basket hilt of a khanda to a more modern tulwar hilt. Sometimes tulwars are found with a single guard on one side and sometimes it is found on both sides of the hilt. Also, there had been a common practice dating probably to sometime in the 19th century of removing finger guards, which leaves behind a noticeble groove in the hilt.
Here is a picture of an old sword from my collection (regredably no longer in my possession) that shows a trace of a removed finger guard:
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