Meerut Court Sentences Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to Death in “Blue Drum” Murder Case

On October 14 2026 Meerut district and sessions judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the death penalty on Muskan Rastogi (26) and Sahil Shukla (28) for the murder of Saurabh Rajput, a former Merchant Navy officer. The court also imposed fines of INR50,000 each under Section 302 and INR20,000 each under Section 238A. The conviction was recorded on September 30 2026 after a 13-month trial that included 126 hearings and testimony from 22 prosecution witnesses.

Hindustan Times

Saurabh Rajput returned to Meerut from London on February 24 2025. He was married to Muskan Rastogi in 2016 and they had a daughter born in 2019. Prosecutors allege Muskan began a relationship with Sahil Shukla, an online-shares trader, and conspired to eliminate Rajput.

The Indian Express

• 126 hearings over 13 months

‘Let me meet my daughter once’: Muskan Rastogi’s request ahead of big verdict in blue drum murder case

• 22 prosecution witnesses, including shopkeepers who sold the drum, cement and knives

In Meerut Blue Drum Murder, Judge Cites The Gita While Awarding Death Sentence

• ?34 statements recorded in the chargesheet

Death penalty for Muskan Rastogi, her lover Sahil Shukla in blue drum murder case

• Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra cited the *Mahabharata* to frame the penalty as a form of dharma.

Muskan, lover receive death penalty in Meerut blue drum murder case: Why did judge invoke Mahabharata while sentencing?

• Prosecution lawyer KK Chaubey argued the case fit the “rarest of rare” doctrine.

CNN-News18

• Vijay Bahadur, representing Rajput’s family, referenced three precedent death-sentence cases.

Blue drum murder case: From husband’s killing to death sentence for Muskan Rastogi, her lover, here's what happened

• Advocate Krishan Kumar Dubey called the verdict “historic” and noted its rarity for a female convict.

Meerut blue drum murder case: Muskan, Sahil sentenced to death

• Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma said both convicts appeared restless, ate little, and Muskan repeatedly requested to meet her seven-year-old daughter.

Muskan, lover get death in Meerut blue drum case, court's Mahabharata reference

Jail officials confirmed Muskan has been allowed to write a letter to her parents but has not yet met her daughter, who remains with Muskan’s parents. Both accused were presented before the court via video link from the Chaudhary Charan Singh District Jail.

The Indian Express

Some sources list the murder date as March 3 2025, others as March 4 2025. A few outlets mistakenly named the victim “Saurabh Rastogi.” These discrepancies do not affect the court’s findings.

Death penalty for Muskan Rastogi, her lover Sahil Shukla in blue drum murder case

• “Muskan had asked for permission to write a letter on Tuesday. We have given her paper and a pen, and we will forward the letter to her parents,” — Meerut jail officials

The Indian Express

• “The court has also imposed fines of INR50,000 under Section 302 and INR20,000 under Section 238A,” — Advocate Krishan Kumar Dubey

Hindustan Times

• “A woman being sentenced to death is, in itself, a precedent-setting event.” — Krishan Kumar Dubey

Meerut blue drum murder case: Muskan, Sahil sentenced to death

The death sentences await confirmation by the Allahabad High Court. The convicts may appeal to the Supreme Court and file mercy petitions under India’s clemency process. Until those steps are completed, the verdict remains provisional.

CNN-News18