News Desk: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, who were sentenced to death for the murder of Saurabh Rajput in Meerut, have challenged their conviction and punishment before the Allahabad High Court. The two convicts have filed criminal appeals seeking to overturn the trial court's verdict and secure their acquittal.
The case, widely known as the ‘blue drum’ murder case, attracted widespread public attention after Saurabh Rajput's body was found concealed inside a blue plastic drum filled with cement and concrete in the Brahmpuri police station area of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
According to the case details, the Meerut district and sessions court convicted Muskan and Sahil on September 30, 2026, and sentenced both to death on October 14. The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on each convict. They were additionally found guilty of offences relating to the disappearance of evidence.
In their appeals before the Allahabad High Court, the duo have described the trial court's judgment as illegal and arbitrary. They have requested that their convictions and death sentences be set aside and that they be acquitted of all charges under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The appellants have argued that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt. Their defence maintains that the case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence and alleges that the trial court reached its conclusions through speculation and conjecture.
They have further contended that the trial court overlooked established legal principles while assessing the evidence presented during the proceedings. The appeals will require the high court to examine the grounds raised by the convicts and assess the legality of the trial court's findings.
A division bench of the Allahabad High Court is expected to hear the matter next week, according to the report. The hearing will mark the next stage in the legal proceedings following the trial court's decision to award the death penalty.
The case has remained in the public spotlight because of the circumstances surrounding Rajput's killing and the discovery of his body inside the cement-filled drum. The trial court's death sentence represented a significant development in the proceedings, but the appeals mean that the convictions and punishments are now being challenged before a higher court.
The high court's consideration of the appeals will be an important step in determining whether the trial court's verdict and sentences should stand or require further legal scrutiny. Until the appeals are decided, the legal challenge against the convictions and death sentences remains pending.
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