Now Reading: Death penalty for Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla in blue drum murder case
-
01
Death penalty for Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla in blue drum murder case
Death penalty for Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla in blue drum murder case
A Meerut district court on Wednesday, 14 October, sentenced Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of Muskan's husband, Saurabh Rajput, in the blue drum murder case. District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence after both were produced through video conferencing. The court also imposed fines of Rs 50,000 under Section 302 and Rs 20,000 under Section 238A.
The couple were convicted on 30 September following 126 hearings and testimony from 22 witnesses. Rajput, a former Merchant Navy officer, was killed on 3 March 2025, his dismembered body was found sealed inside a blue drum filled with cement at his home. Rajput's family had demanded the death penalty. Both convicts, in jail since March 2025, will be called again for further proceedings.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The eight sources uniformly report the death sentence, the conviction date, the 126 hearings and the 22 witnesses. Every outlet leads with the sentence and the core facts. Indian Express adds the victim's mother's question to Muskan and the early marriage story, Hindustan Times includes the victim's brother's complaint and the timeline of arrest. India TV News is the only source to state that the body was cut into 15 pieces and to include the timeline table and the convicts' behaviour in jail. ABP Live quotes a lawyer's 'historic verdict' comment and the victim's brother's demand for the death penalty. The Times of India (first source) is unique in reporting Muskan's request to meet her daughter and the jail superintendent's remark that both convicts are anxious.
Coverage: 8 sources, 8 neutral
Sources (8): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report), indianexpress.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report), abplive.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report), deccanherald.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 8 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
