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Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case: 574 People on Death Row, When Will Muskaan and Sahil Face Execution?
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News18•15-10-2026, 10:30
Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case: 574 People on Death Row, When Will Muskaan and Sahil Face Execution?
- •A court sentenced Muskaan and Sahil to death for murdering Merchant Navy worker Saurabh Rajput in 2025 and sealing his body in a blue drum with cement.
- •District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the death sentence after 126 hearings over 13 months with testimonies from 22 witnesses.
- •Approximately 574 people are currently ahead of Muskaan and Sahil on India's death row, according to the Death Penalty in India Annual Statistics Report 2025.
- •Uttar Pradesh ranks first in the country for the number of death row prisoners awaiting execution, followed by Gujarat and Haryana.
- •Muskaan and Sahil still have multiple legal remedies, including confirmation hearings in the High Court, appeals in the Supreme Court, and a final mercy petition.
Key Questions Answered
Muskaan and Sahil were sentenced to death for murdering Saurabh Rajput, a Merchant Navy worker, in 2025. They brutally chopped his body into five pieces, packed them into a blue drum, and sealed it with cement before a court convicted them after a 13-month trial.
According to the Death Penalty in India Annual Statistics Report 2025, approximately 574 people are currently ahead of Muskaan and Sahil on India's death row, marking the highest number since 2016.
The lower court's death sentence must first be confirmed by the High Court, where evidence will be re-examined. Following High Court confirmation, the convicts can still appeal to the Supreme Court, and if upheld, file a final mercy petition.
