The Meerut court that sentenced Muskaan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of Rastogi’s husband, merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, referred to the Bhagavad Gita while pronouncing the sentence on Wednesday, according to the lawyer representing the victim’s side.
“The judge cited references from the Mahabharata, affirming that the court would perform its duty, as ‘dharma also means punishing those who commit wrongs’. Despite significant efforts by the defence,” victim Saurabh Rajput’s lawyer said outside court.
“The judge cited references from the Mahabharata, affirming that the court would perform its duty, as ‘dharma also means punishing those who commit wrongs’. The detailed judgment was awaited. District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra pronounced the sentence two weeks after convicting the pair. The court held that Rastogi and Shukla conspired to kill Rajput and concealed his dismembered body inside a blue industrial drum using concrete and sand. Rastogi’s family never met her in prison.
The trial ran through 126 hearings, and 22 witnesses gave statements.
Despite significant efforts by the defence,” Saurabh Rajput’s lawyer said outside court. The judge also said such crimes create fear in society at large. Earlier on Wednesday, Rastogi’s parents told the court that Rajput was a “very good person”. They said that if the guilty were sentenced to death, “we will not protest”.
