MEERUT: Punishing the guilty in accordance with the gravity of their crime is also Dharma, a Meerut court observed on Wednesday while sentencing Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla to death in the blue drum murder case, prosecution lawyer KK Chaubey said.District and sessions judge Arvind Kumar Mishra invoked the Mahabharata while pronouncing the sentence, drawing on the epic to explain the principle behind the punishment awarded to the two convicts, Chaubey said.The court sentenced Muskan and Sahil to death for murdering Muskan’s husband, Saurabh Rajput, a former Merchant Navy officer, and destroying evidence.It also imposed fines of Rs 50,000 each under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (murder) and Rs 20,000 each under Section 238(A) for causing the disappearance of evidence.

Both appeared before the court through video conferencing.The case dates back to March 2025, when Rajput, 35, was allegedly killed by the duo.Police said his body was dismembered and the remains concealed in a blue plastic drum filled with cement. The crime came to light after a foul smell emanating from the drum led to the discovery of the remains.

Rajput had returned to Meerut from London in late February 2025 and was killed on March 4.

Police alleged that Muskan and Sahil drugged him before stabbing him to death. The two were arrested after returning from a trip to Himachal Pradesh.The trial involved the examination of 22 prosecution witnesses and more than 100 hearings.Rajput’s mother, Renu Devi, was present at the court when the verdict was pronounced.

“My son cannot come back but I had prayed every day for the last 18 months that they should be given death sentence. I am thankful to Mata Rani for hearing my prayers. I am sure, this kind of sentence will serve as a deterrence and will save many mothers from the trauma I have experienced,” she added.