Meerut court sentences Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to death

Saurabh Rajput, a merchant navy officer, was killed on March 3, 2025, according to Mint. His wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her boyfriend, Sahil Shukla, were convicted of his murder.

Rajput's body was discovered about two weeks later, concealed with cement in a blue drum, Mint reported. The container that gave the case its name was a large blue plastic storage drum, according to BBC News - India.

The prosecution presented testimony from 22 witnesses during the trial, according to Times of India India. The proceedings culminated in a death sentence for both defendants at a Meerut court on October 14, 2026.

In explaining the punishment, the judge referred to the Mahabharata and said justice required a sentence proportionate to the gravity of the offence, The Hindu reported. The sentencing attracted attention both for its severity and for those references.

An explanation published by India News on October 14 featured Supreme Court lawyer Azad Singh discussing why the case was considered among the "rarest of the rare". That coverage addressed the reasoning for imposing the death penalty.

After sentencing, jail authorities increased security and surveillance for both convicts and held them in separate cells, according to NDTV India. A report published on October 15 by Times of India described them weeping and skipping dinner during their first night after the verdict.

Rastogi and Shukla have been sentenced to death. The supplied coverage does not establish a subsequent appeal outcome or an execution date.

A separate Meerut case produced another death sentence on October 16, two days after the blue drum verdict, Indian Express reported. That case concerned Amit Kashyap, alias Mikky, whose death was initially suspected to be a snakebite after a snake was found beneath his body, according to India News. It is not the Rajput murder case.