A Meerut court on Wednesday sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla to death for murdering her husband, merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, whose dismembered body was concealed in a blue drum filled with cement.
District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after a 13-month trial involving 126 hearings. The court also invoked the Mahabharata while discussing the duty to punish offenders.
District Government Counsel K K Chaubey told PTI that the judge observed that punishing those guilty of grave crimes was also a matter of dharma.
Describing the crime as "extremely cruel and grave", he said the court considered stringent punishment necessary to prevent similar offences.
Muskan and Sahil were convicted on September 30 for murder and attempting to conceal the crime. They were produced before the court separately through video conferencing amid a large gathering at the court complex.
The verdict brought relief to Saurabh's family, which had sought the death penalty for both accused. His mother, Renu Devi, welcomed the decision but said the family's real moment of happiness would come when the execution date was fixed.
"The court has sentenced them to death today, but the day their execution date is fixed will be our real day of happiness," she said.
Saurabh's brother Rahul also welcomed the verdict, saying the family was completely satisfied with the court's decision.
The sentence has raised questions about the future of Muskan's 10-month-old daughter, Radha, who has been living with her mother in Meerut district jail since birth.
Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma said there would be no immediate change in the infant's living arrangements. The convicts can appeal before the higher courts.
A decision on Radha's future would be taken when an execution date was fixed, Sharma added. Under jail rules, children can stay with their incarcerated mothers until the age of six.
Radha was born on November 24 last year at a Meerut medical college and was taken back to jail with Muskan after delivery.
Muskan also has a seven-year-old daughter, Pihu, who is believed to be living with her maternal grandparents. Sharma said Muskan had been seeking permission to meet Pihu for the past three to four days, but the meeting had not taken place by the time the sentence was pronounced. Muskan has also expressed concern about Radha's future.
Saurabh's family had earlier sought a DNA test to establish Radha's paternity. His elder brother had said the family would accept the child if she was established to be Saurabh's daughter. However, no DNA test is known to have been conducted so far.
According to Sharma, both convicts appeared restless before the sentencing.
They had eaten very little and slept poorly. The judge asked them whether they wished to say anything about the punishment. Sharma said the judge also asked questions about various points, including the forensic report, but declined to disclose further details.
Saurabh was killed on March 3, 2025. His body was dismembered and the remains were placed inside a blue drum with cement. The case came to light about a fortnight later when the remains were discovered in the drum, giving the matter its moniker of the "blue drum" murder.
Police registered an FIR on March 18, 2025, at Brahmpuri police station.
They recovered the remains based on information provided by the accused and later filed a chargesheet.
The prosecution examined 22 witnesses, including people linked to the purchase of the drum, a knife and other material allegedly used in the crime. Hotel managers and cab drivers were also examined to establish the accused's movements.
Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police B B G T S Murthy said effective investigation and prosecution had resulted in the death sentences. He announced certificates of appreciation and cash rewards for police personnel and prosecution officials involved in the case.
Chaubey said this was, to his knowledge, the third case in Meerut in which a man had been sentenced to death. It was the first in which a woman had received the punishment, he said.
The verdict drew a strong public response at the court complex. People raised slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai", while lawyers distributed sweets.