Blue drum murder case verdict today: Victim’s brother seeks death penalty for accused

A Meerut court is set to deliver its verdict in the Saurabh Rajput murder case, involving his wife Muskan Rastogi and co-accused Sahil Shukla. The prosecution has sought the death penalty, while the defence cited absence of eyewitnesses and sought leniency

Meerut: The verdict in the sensational Saurabh Rajput murder case, which made headlines, is set to be delivered by a Meerut court on Wednesday.

Ahead of the judgment, the victim’s family reiterated its demand for the harshest punishment for the accused. Saurabh’s elder brother Rahul spoke to IANS and said, “We just want one thing: whatever they did to my brother, the same thing should happen to them.” “Since the beginning of this case, we have been hoping to get justice. We have just demanded one thing — whatever they did to my brother, the same should happen to them. The least they get should be a death sentence.”

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Speaking about the case, he said, “It is more than 17-18 months. My business has come to a standstill because of this case. We used to leave for court at 11 in the morning and return only by 5 in the evening.”

He added that he was summoned to court on 11 days, and his mother had to appear nine times. Rahul said 22 witnesses gave testimony.

“If the accused is awarded anything less than the death sentence, we will approach the High Court or the Supreme Court,” he said. The case has seen 126 hearings and testimonies, with the prosecution and defence presenting their arguments before District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra.

Saurabh’s wife, Muskan Rastogi, and Sahil Shukla, whom the prosecution has described as her alleged lover and co-accused, are standing trial in the case. The prosecution has sought the death penalty for both, while the defence has argued that there was no eyewitness to the murder and has sought leniency for the accused.

The case was brought before the court on 17 March 2025, while Muskan and Sahil were sent to Meerut jail two days later.

The trial was transferred to the district judge’s court in July 2025, with arguments continuing for around 13 months. The prosecution alleges that the murder was premeditated and that the accused purchased a knife, razor, cement, sand and a large blue drum before committing the crime.

Police and forensic witnesses told the court that the body was recovered from the drum, while post-mortem evidence recorded injuries allegedly inflicted with sharp-edged weapons.

Reportedly, Saurabh’s mother, Renu Rajput, also accused Muskan and Sahil of killing her son. She told the court that Saurabh had married Muskan despite opposition from his family and alleged that Muskan kept meeting Sahil even after the marriage.