The future of 10-month-old Radha, who has lived with her mother in a jail since birth, remains uncertain after a Meerut court sentenced Muskan Rastogi to death for murdering her husband, merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, in the sensational ‘ blue drum’ case .
Muskan also has a seven-year-old daughter, Pihu, who is believed to be living separately with Muskan’s parents. Radha has been staying with Muskan at the Meerut district jail since she was born. Under jail rules, children are allowed to stay with their incarcerated mothers until the age of six. 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. The prison authorities are also yet to decide whether Muskan and her partner, Sahil Shukla, will continue to be lodged in Meerut jail or be transferred to another prison.
Radha’s living arrangements would not change immediately following the death sentence, as the punishment would not be carried out at once, jail authorities told news agency PTI. Senior Jail Superintendent Dr Viresh Raj Sharma told PTI that the legal process following the death sentence would take time, with the convicts having several avenues of appeal. “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. Sharma said Muskan had expressed concern about her younger daughter’s future. Sharma said a decision would be taken after the authorities received the detailed court order.
However, no DNA test is known to have been conducted so far.
Saurabh’s elder brother had said the family would accept the child if it was established that she was Saurabh’s daughter.
Radha’s paternity had earlier come under scrutiny, with Saurabh’s family seeking a DNA test.
