Blue drum murder case: Court awards death penalty to Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla

A Meerut court on Wednesday, October 14, sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her boyfriend, Sahil Shukla, to death for murdering her husband, Saurabh Rajput, in the infamous blue drum murder case. District and Sessions Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after convicting the duo on September 30, 2026.

During sentencing, the judge referred to the Mahabharata, observing that punishment is also a form of dharma. The court stressed that punishment plays an important role in maintaining order in society. Both convicts appeared through video conferencing from jail, while Saurabh’s mother, Renu Rajput, and brother attended the proceedings. Muskan’s parents reportedly submitted a written statement saying they would not oppose the death penalty if awarded to their daughter.

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What happened in the Meerut blue drum murder case?

Saurabh Rajput, 29, was a former Merchant Navy employee who later worked as a sales manager in London. He married Muskan in 2016 after they eloped, and the couple had a daughter.

According to the prosecution, Saurabh returned to Meerut from London on February 24, 2025, to celebrate birthdays in the family. On March 3, Muskan allegedly mixed an intoxicating substance into his food, leaving him unconscious. Sahil then allegedly arrived at their home, where the two stabbed Saurabh to death and dismembered his body.

The remains were placed inside a blue plastic drum filled with cement, sand and water to conceal the crime. The murder came to light on March 17, 2025, when suspicious relatives visited the house, and police recovered the remains.

During the trial, the prosecution presented circumstantial, forensic and technical evidence. Shopkeepers reportedly testified about selling items, including the drum, cement, sand and cutting tools. Call detail records and mobile tower locations were also used to establish Sahil’s presence and trace the accused’s movements to Himachal Pradesh.

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When was a woman last executed in India?

Ratanbai Jain was reportedly the last woman executed in India, on January 3, 1955, at Tihar Jail in Delhi. She was convicted of murdering three girls. No woman has been executed in India since then.

Another prominent case is that of Shabnam, sentenced to death in 2010 for murdering seven members of her family in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. The Allahabad High Court upheld her sentence in 2013, followed by the Supreme Court in 2015. However, she has not been executed.