Muskan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla challenge death sentence in Saurabh Rajput's ‘blue drum’ murder case before Allahabad HC

The two convicts in the blue drum murder case - Muskan Rastogi and her partner Sahil Shukla - have approached the Allahabad High Court challenging their death sentence by a Meerut court.

A division bench of the high court is likely to hear the matter next week.

The court had convicted the two on September 30 for the murder of Muskan's husband Saurabh Rajput, a former merchant navy officer, and for attempting to conceal his body. The death penalty was given on October 14.

Senior Jail Superintendent of Meerut district jail Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI that the appeal on behalf of Sahil and Muskan was filed on Friday by senior advocate Sushil Shukla.

The lawyer said both Sahil and Muskan had consented to appoint him as their counsel, following which the lower court's verdict was challenged.

In their appeal, the two convicts described the trial court's verdict as illegal and arbitrary and urged the high court to acquit them of all charges under the relevant provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Their appeal also contends that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence, but the trial court arrived at its conclusion on the basis of speculation and conjecture while overlooking established legal principles, they claimed.

The appellants also pointed to alleged contradictions in the statements of witnesses regarding the purchase of the weapon, cement and drum.

They have argued that neither CCTV footage nor valid purchase receipts were produced to substantiate these transactions.

Other grounds raised in the appeal include the alleged absence of signatures of independent witnesses on recovery memos, violations of videography procedures and the absence of mandatory certificates required for electronic evidence.

Saurabh was murdered in the Brahmpuri police station area of Meerut on March 3, 2025. Sahil and Muskan then concealed his body in a blue plastic drum filled with cement and concrete in an attempt to dispose of it. The case had triggered widespread outrage after it came to light.

Following an investigation, police arrested Muskan and Sahil. District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the verdict of death sentence that came after 126 hearings and a 13-month trial.