Meerut court sentences Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to death in blue‑drum murder case
A Meerut court on 14 October sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla to death after convicting them of murdering Saurabh Rajput. The court said its death sentences require confirmation by the high court and noted the conviction followed a 13‑month trial with 126 hearings and 22 prosecution witnesses.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Full text read from 1 of 5 outletsHow it's made
What happened
Key facts
- According to the prosecution, Rajput was killed on 3 March 2025 at the couple's rented house in Meerut's Brahmpuri area (per nationalheraldindia.com).
- The prosecution said Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla stabbed Rajput, dismembered his body and placed the remains inside a blue plastic drum later filled with cement (per nationalheraldindia.com).
- The court said the high court's confirmation is required for the death sentence (per nationalheraldindia.com, etvbharat.com).
The brief
A Meerut court on 14 October sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla to death after finding them guilty in the case that became known as the blue‑drum murder. District judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after the pair were convicted on 30 September of murdering Saurabh Rajput and attempting to conceal his body, the National Herald reported.
The prosecution presented a 13‑month case that, the newspaper said, involved 126 hearings and testimony from 22 prosecution witnesses. According to the prosecution account set out in court, Rajput was killed on 3 March 2025 at the couple’s rented house in Meerut’s Brahmpuri area.
The prosecution alleges the defendants stabbed Rajput, dismembered his body, placed the remains in a blue plastic drum and later filled the drum with cement. The article identified Rajput as a former merchant navy officer and said he was 29 when he returned to India in February 2025 to celebrate birthdays with his wife and their daughter.
The prosecution’s timeline and evidence, as described in the report, were the basis for the convictions recorded on 30 September and for the sentence pronounced on 14 October. The court noted that the death sentences must be confirmed by the high court before they can be carried out, the report said.
The National Herald account framed the ruling as the culmination of a long trial process that examined witness testimony and material evidence relating to concealment of the body.
Other Indian outlets published headlines reporting the same outcome: The Hindu, ThePrint and Zoom News ran headlines saying the victim’s wife and her partner were given the death penalty, and ETV Bharat noted the court scheduled sentencing for the same day.
Those headlines corroborate that multiple outlets reported the court’s decision, but the detailed factual account in this brief is drawn from the National Herald’s article.
The court’s order and the prosecution’s narrative, as presented by the National Herald, set out the sequence of events the prosecution says led to Rajput’s death, the inspections and witness testimony during the 13‑month trial, and the legal requirement that the high court confirm any death sentence before it takes effect.
Why it matters
- Victim’s immediate family: Rajput’s wife and daughter are directly affected by the conviction and sentence documented in the trial record and article.
- Defendants’ legal status: the death sentences cannot be implemented until the high court confirms them, creating a specific legal next step recorded by the court.
- Criminal‑justice process: the case consumed judicial resources across 126 hearings and 22 prosecution witnesses, indicating a prolonged trial with many evidentiary elements.
What to watch next
- Whether the high court confirms or overturns the death sentences as required by the Meerut court's order.
- Whether the defence files an appeal or other legal remedies following the 30 September convictions and the 14 October sentencing.
- Any high court scheduling or orders related to confirmation of the death penalty.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details6 source articles · 5 unique outletsCoverage mix: Mostly Center· 1 Left · 3 CenterWhere the outlets are based: Asia 100%
- Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 4 rated sources); comparatively few Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
- Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in Asia (5 of 5 geographically-identified sources).
How outlets' accounts compare
How we got here
The immediate backdrop is the 13-month trial in a Meerut criminal court that concluded with convictions entered on 30 September 2026 for the killing that prosecutors say occurred on 3 March 2025 at a rented home in Meerut’s Brahmpuri area.
The prosecution filed charges alleging that the victim, Saurabh Rajput, was killed on 3 March 2025 and that his remains were concealed inside a blue plastic drum, a claim developed during the investigation and presented during the trial that began in 2025 and ran through September 2026.
Original sources
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