Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla, who were awarded the death penalty by a Meerut court for killing her husband, appeared to be in a “state of shock”, advocate Krishan Kumar Dubey said on Wednesday.
“The entire nation was watching; the eyes of the public were fixed on what punishment the perpetrators of this crime would receive. They appeared to be in a state of shock; they were stunned. One can imagine the mental state of someone facing the death penalty,” he said, news agency ANI reported.
The two appeared restless ahead of the sentencing and had eaten very little and slept poorly, according to Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma, as per news agency PTI.
The duo was found guilty of killing an ex-Merchant Navy officer, Saurabh Rajput. The case sent shockwaves after the prosecution alleged that Rajput’s body was cut into pieces and placed inside a large blue plastic drum before being sealed with cement.
"Both have been sentenced to death for the crime. They have been ordered to pay a fine of ₹50,000 under Section 302 and ₹20,000 under Section 238A. It is a historic verdict,” Dubey added.
Dubey said that the defence argued, saying no one witnessed the murders but since the evidence presented by the prosecution was so strong, significant, and precise, it conclusively proved their guilt.
“The defense had presented arguments—such as the fact that no one actually witnessed the murder and that both accused have daughters—but these were all set aside because the evidence presented by the prosecution was so strong, significant, and precise that it conclusively proved their guilt.”
Detailing about the case, Dubey said that the murder was “meticulously” planned and that Muskan executed the murder with a “calm” and “composed mind”.
“The primary basis was the nature of the murder itself: she killed her husband—whom she had married out of love—and then dismembered his body into three parts for disposal, hiding the remains in a blue drum. It was a meticulously planned conspiracy and strategy. She executed the murder with a calm and composed mind. Consequently, the death penalty was the appropriate punishment for such a premeditated killing,” the advocate said.
“This is a significant verdict among the country's court rulings; a woman being sentenced to death is, in itself, a precedent-setting event... Regarding her daughter, she can stay with her mother for six years.”
Saurabh, a resident of Indira Nagar, was working in London and returned to his Meerut home on February 24, 2025. The prosecution alleged that after his return, his presence became an obstacle to the relationship between his wife Muskan and Sahil, prompting the two to hatch a conspiracy to kill him.
‘Deeply satisfied’: Saurabh's mother
Saurabh Rajput’s mother, Renu Devi, expressed profound relief and gratitude over the court's decision, emphasising that justice had finally been served.
"We feel very good; we are deeply satisfied that both of them have been sentenced to death. We received the justice we were seeking. We are extremely grateful to our lawyers, associates, and staff; we will always thank them and remain indebted to them. We have nothing to do with the daughter who is in jail. As for the elder daughter—if her maternal grandparents hand her over to us without any conditions, we will keep her with us," she told ANI.