Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla death sentence faces automatic review by higher courts
Published
A Meerut court sentenced the pair to death on 14 October for murdering Saurabh Rajput, after 126 hearings and 22 prosecution witnesses. No date has been reported for the next step.
Original report
On 14 October 2026, a Meerut court sentenced Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla to death for murdering her husband, Saurabh Rajput (The Week, 2026; Business Today, 2026). What happens next: higher courts automatically review a death sentence, Punjab Kesari reported, but no date for that review has been reported.
Rajput, 29, a former Merchant Navy officer, was killed on 3 March 2025, and his body was hidden in a drum sealed with cement. It was found on 17 March 2025, Business Today reported.
Higher courts review every death sentence
The verdict now goes to higher courts for review, Punjab Kesari reported on 14 October. None of the four reports we read named the rule, the court or a date for that review, so we cannot give one. Whether the pair will appeal has not been reported.
The case reached this point without a single eyewitness.
A conviction built without an eyewitness
The court convicted the pair on 30 September 2026 on circumstantial, medical and forensic evidence, Sunday Guardian reported. The prosecution had sought the death penalty.
Prosecution lawyer Krishan Kumar Dubey said both accused had "attempted to hide evidence" (Sunday Guardian, 2026).
The trial's own numbers show how much work that took.
The trial in numbers
- 126 hearings and 22 prosecution witnesses over about 13 months, Sunday Guardian reported. That is nearly 10 hearings a month, by our arithmetic.
- A chargesheet of about 1,000 pages, Punjab Kesari reported.
- 590 days from the murder to the sentence, by our count from the reported dates.
The Week described the case as running 2.5 years, which does not fit the reported dates of March 2025 to October 2026.
Outlets told the same verdict in different ways.
How the coverage split
- The Week revisited what it called an elaborate drum murder.
- Business Today framed Muskan Rastogi as the first woman facing a death sentence in 71 years. That is Business Today's claim; we have not verified it.
- Sunday Guardian led on the 126 hearings and a full case timeline.
- Punjab Kesari reported the sentence and the automatic review.
What we don't know yet
- The date of the higher-court review, and the rule that governs it.
- Whether Muskan Rastogi or Sahil Shukla will appeal.
References
Business Today (2026) Blue drum murder case: Court awards death penalty to Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla. Business Today. Available at: Blue drum murder case: Court awards death penalty (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Punjab Kesari (2026) Meerut Court Sentences 2 to Death in Shocking Blue Drum Murder. Punjab Kesari. Available at: Meerut Court Sentences 2 to Death (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
Sunday Guardian (2026) Blue Drum Case Verdict Live Updates: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla Get Death Sentence for Killing Saurabh Rajput After 126 Hearings. Sunday Guardian. Available at: Blue Drum Case Verdict Live Updates (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
The Week (2026) Meerut blue drum murder case revisited: Death penalty for Muskan, boyfriend Sahil for killing husband Saurabh Rajput. The Week. Available at: Meerut blue drum murder case revisited (Accessed: 14 October 2026).
How we did this
We read four reports published on 14 October 2026: The Week, Business Today, Sunday Guardian and Punjab Kesari. We built the timeline from their dates, counted the days from the murder to the sentence, and compared how each outlet framed the verdict. We have not described the killing in graphic detail.
This story was produced, reviewed, edited and verified by the reporter before publication, with AI assistance where required.
Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum: 0% left, 50% center, 50% right.
Who is covering this story
- Center (2): Business Today, The Week
- Right-leaning (2): Punjab Kesari, Sunday Guardian
Sources
- Meerut Court Sentences 2 to Death in Shocking Blue Drum Murder — Punjab Kesari (right-leaning) ·
- Blue Drum Case Verdict Live Updates: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla Get Death Sentence for Killing Saurabh Rajput After 126 Hearings - Check Full Case Timeline — Sunday Guardian (right-leaning) ·
- Blue drum murder case: Court awards death penalty to Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla - BusinessToday — Business Today (center) ·
- Meerut blue drum murder death sentence — The Week (center) ·