Meerut, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Meerut court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on Wednesday in the Saurabh Rajput murder case, which drew widespread attention over the alleged disposal of the victim’s body in a blue drum. Ahead of the judgment, Saurabh’s family has reiterated its demand for the death penalty for the two accused standing trial.
Speaking to IANS, Saurabh’s elder brother, Rahul, said the family had been seeking justice since the beginning of the case and wanted the accused to receive the harshest possible punishment.
“We just want one thing: whatever they did to my brother, the same thing should happen to them,” Rahul said.
“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,” he added.
Rahul said the prolonged legal proceedings had severely affected his business and family life. He said the case had continued for more than 17 to 18 months, requiring repeated visits to court.
“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 said.
He added that he had been summoned to court on 11 days, while his mother had appeared nine times. According to Rahul, 22 witnesses had testified during the trial. He said the family would approach the High Court or the Supreme Court if the accused were awarded a sentence less than death.
The case has witnessed 126 hearings, during which the prosecution and defence presented 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, are facing trial as co-accused. The prosecution has sought the death penalty for both, while the defence has argued that there was no eyewitness to the murder and sought leniency. The accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was brought before the court on March 17, 2025, and 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.
According to the prosecution, the murder was premeditated, and the accused allegedly purchased a knife, razor, cement, sand and a large blue drum before committing the crime. Police and forensic witnesses told the court that Saurabh’s body was recovered from the drum, while the post-mortem report recorded injuries allegedly caused by sharp-edged weapons.
During the proceedings, 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 continued meeting Sahil after the marriage.
The court is now set to deliver its verdict in the case, following the completion of arguments from both sides.
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