The future of 10-month-old Radha, who has lived with her mother in a jail since birth, remains uncertain after a Meerut court sentenced Muskan Rastogi to death for murdering her husband, merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, in the sensational ‘blue drum’ case.
Radha’s living arrangements would not change immediately following the death sentence, as the punishment would not be carried out at once, jail authorities told news agency PTI. Muskan also has a seven-year-old daughter, Pihu, who is believed to be living separately with Muskan’s parents.
Radha has been staying with Muskan at the Meerut district jail since she was born. Under jail rules, children are allowed to stay with their incarcerated mothers until the age of six.
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Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI that the legal process following the death sentence would take time, with the convicts having several avenues of appeal.
“The convicts have the option of appealing before the high court and the Supreme Court, followed by filing mercy petitions before the governor and the president,” Sharma said.
A decision on Radha’s future will be taken once a date for the execution is fixed, he said.
Radha was born on November 24 last year at a Meerut medical college and was taken back to the district jail with her mother after delivery. Jail authorities had then said both were healthy and that the infant would receive medical care, nutrition and other necessities.
Sharma said Muskan had expressed concern about her younger daughter’s future. He added that 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.
The prison authorities are also yet to decide whether Muskan and her partner, Sahil Shukla, will continue to be lodged in Meerut jail or be transferred to another prison. Sharma said a decision would be taken after the authorities received the detailed court order.
Paternity question remains
Radha’s paternity had earlier come under scrutiny, with Saurabh’s family seeking a DNA test. Saurabh’s elder brother had said the family would accept the child if it was established that she was Saurabh’s daughter. However, no DNA test is known to have been conducted so far.
With both Muskan and Sahil sentenced to death, responsibility for Radha’s long-term care remains unresolved. For now, she will continue to live with her mother in jail as the legal process moves to the appellate stage.
What happened in the blue drum case
Muskan and Sahil were convicted on September 30 for killing Saurabh on March 3, 2025, dismembering his body and concealing the remains in a blue drum filled with cement. The case came to light about a fortnight later, when the remains were discovered at the couple’s house.
The court pronounced the sentence after a trial spanning 13 months and 126 hearings.
Muskan and Sahil appeared to be in a “state of shock” after a Meerut court sentenced them to death for killing Saurabh, 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 had appeared restless ahead of the sentencing and had eaten very little and slept poorly, according to Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma, as reported by PTI.
(With inputs from agencies)