Meerut court awards death sentence to both the convicts in Blue drum murder case A Meerut court on Wednesday awarded the death sentence to both the convicts - Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla - in the infamous Blue Drum Murder Case. Muskan had conspired her husband Saurabh Rajput's murder with the help of her lover Sahil. The duo killed Saurabh - a merchant navy officer - and hide his body in a blue drum. Earlier on September 30, a Meerut district court convicted both Muskan and Sahil (Muskan's school friend-turned-partner) in the sensational "Blue Drum" murder case involving the killing of Saurabh Rajput. District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra held Muskan and Sahil guilty of murdering Rajput and concealing his body. The verdict came after 13 months of proceedings, 126 hearings and statements from 22 prosecution witnesses. The court had reserved its order on the quantum of punishment (announced today). The two convicts appeared before the court virtually from the local jail where they are lodged. According to prosecution details, Muskan, in collusion with her partner Sahil, hatched a criminal conspiracy to murder Saurabh Rajput. Following the killing, the duo attempted to dispose of the evidence by concealing his body inside a sealed blue drum. During the trial proceedings, the prosecution presented 22 witnesses before the court, along with technical and physical evidence, to establish the timeline of the crime and prove the guilt of the accused. Speaking to ANI earlier, Advocate Krishan Kumar Dubey, who represented the prosecution, said that the court found both accused guilty of murdering Saurabh and attempting to conceal evidence related to the crime. "The court has held that both accused committed the murder of Saurabh Rajput and attempted to hide the evidence related to the crime. They also tried to conceal the dead body and the weapon used in the crime in a blue drum. Both have been held guilty of the offence," Dubey said. He said that the prosecution team worked diligently and ensured the presence of witnesses on every date, which helped the case reach the sentencing stage in a short period. Dubey said the court has given around 10 to 15 days for the sentencing stage. When asked about the possible punishment, he said, "I feel they should be given the death penalty." The court had earlier heard the case in which Muskan, along with Sahil, was accused of conspiring to murder her husband Saurabh Rajput and hiding his body in a blue drum. During the trial, 22 witnesses were presented before the court. Shashwat Bhandari is the Associate Editor at Times Now. With 14 years of experience in the news and media industry, he understands the responsibility ... View More