Meerut (UP), Oct 14 Ten-month-old Radha’s future, including who will care for her in the years ahead, hangs in the balance after her mother, Muskan Rastogi, was sentenced to death on Wednesday for the murder of her husband, merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, in the sensational ‘blue drum’ case.
Jail authorities, however, said there would be no immediate change in the infant’s living arrangements.
Muskan also has a seven-year-old daughter, Pihu, who is believed to be living separately with Muskan’s parents.
Radha has been living with Muskan in the Meerut district jail since her birth. Under jail rules, children can stay with their incarcerated mothers until the age of six.
Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI that there would be no immediate change in arrangements for Radha following the death sentence, as the punishment would not be carried out immediately.
“The convicts have the option of appealing before the high court and the Supreme Court, followed by filing mercy petitions before the governor and the president,” Sharma said.
A decision regarding Radha’s future will be taken when a date for the execution is fixed, he said.
Born on November 24 last year at a Meerut medical college, Radha was taken back to the district jail with her mother after delivery. Jail authorities had then said that both were healthy and the infant would receive medical care, nutrition and other necessities.
Sharma said Muskan had expressed concern about her younger daughter’s future. He added that Muskan had been seeking permission to meet Pihu for the past three to four days but the meeting had not taken place by the time the sentence was pronounced.
Asked whether Muskan and her partner Sahil Shukla would continue to be lodged in Meerut jail or be transferred to another prison, Sharma said a decision would be taken after the authorities received the detailed court order.
Radha’s birth had also raised questions about her paternity. Saurabh’s family had sought a DNA test, with his elder brother saying they would accept the child if she was established to be Saurabh’s daughter. However, no DNA test is known to have been conducted so far.
With Muskan and Sahil sentenced to death, the question of who will take responsibility for Radha’s care in the long term remains unanswered. For now, the infant will continue to live with her mother in jail, even as the legal process moves to the appellate stage.
Muskan and Sahil were convicted on September 30 for killing Saurabh on March 3, 2025, dismembering his body and concealing the remains in a blue drum filled with cement. The case came to light about a fortnight later when the remains were discovered at the couple’s house.
The court pronounced the sentence after a trial spanning 13 months and 126 hearings.
(PTI News)
