Muskan, the lover, gets death sentence in Meerut blue drum murder case: Why did the judge refer to the Mahabharata while delivering the sentence? | Today’s news
A Meerut court on Wednesday sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of Saurabh Rajput. The body of Saurabh Rajput, who was Muskan’s husband, was found dismembered and encased in concrete in a blue drum and hit the headlines.
Saurabh Rajput was an officer in the merchant navy. He was killed on March 3, 2025, and his body was discovered about two weeks later.
Meerut blue drum murder case verdict
On October 14, District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the verdict in the Meerut blue drum murder case after 126 hearings during the 13-month trial. According to PTI, Muskan, who has two daughters, one seven-year-old and the other 10-month-old, and Sahil were produced before the court separately through video conferencing from jail.
Reportedly, Muskan and her lover Sahil appeared uneasy before the verdict. He did not eat or sleep much, added the jail’s chief warden, Viresh Raj Sharma.
Before handing down the death sentence, the judge asked both if they wanted to say anything about the sentence.
Reference to Mahabharata
Referring to the Mahabharata, Justice Mishra called the punishment a form of dharma. He said that Muskan and Sahil will be hanged till death.
According to an Aaj Tak report, Justice Mishra referred to a verse from the Mahabharata during the hearing. He said “Dand bhi dharma hai (even punishment is dharma)”.
In the publication, he added: “Punishment was referred to as dharma, meaning that punishing a criminal is itself a righteous act).
The use of the link seemingly explains the moral reasoning behind the rare punishment for viral murder.
Saurabh Rajput’s mother, Renu, brother and other family members were present in the court during the sentencing.
Case explained
Muskan and Sahil were convicted on September 30 for the murder and attempt to conceal the body of Saurabh Rajput.
The convicts dismembered the victim’s body and placed the remains in a blue drum, which they filled with cement to cover up their crime.
The case came to light after the remains were discovered at the couple’s home in Meerut.
During the trial, the prosecution heard 22 witnesses, including people connected to the purchase of the drum, knife and other materials that were allegedly used to commit the crime. According to PTI, hotel managers and taxi drivers have also been questioned in connection with the accused in the case.
