A woman and her neighbour, convicted of murdering her husband and placing a live snake beside his body to make it look like a snakebite, have been given the death sentence by a Meerut court, subject to confirmation by the High Court.
Meerut: A 28-year-old woman, Ravita, and a 20-year-old man, Amardeep, have been sentenced to death by a Sessions Court in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, for the murder of her husband, Amit Kashyap, and for criminal conspiracy. The court found that the death had been staged to look like a snakebite [State v. Ravita and Another].
Additional Sessions Judge Jaiveer Singh Nagar convicted the two on October 7, 2026 and pronounced the sentence on Friday, October 16, 2026. Additional District Government Counsel Farzana Maqsood appeared for the prosecution and Advocate Omkar Singh Bhati for the convicts. The case title above is descriptive, as the case number was not available when this report was written.
The night of April 12, 2025
Amit Kashyap was found dead at his home in Akbarpur Sadat village, in the Bahsuma area of Meerut, on the night of April 12, 2025. A snake lay beneath his body, and the death was at first thought to be a snakebite. Injuries on his neck and scratch marks on the body raised suspicion, and according to the investigation the post-mortem report showed that he died of asphyxia from strangulation.
As recorded during the probe, the police case was that the snake’s venom sac had been removed. Ravita and Amardeep were arrested and sent to jail. Investigators said call detail records showed that the two had spoken more than 50 times on the day of the incident. The charge sheet came within 60 days of the murder, and the court examined more than 12 witnesses before convicting the two on October 7.
What the convicts said before the sentence
Through video conferencing, the court heard the two convicts on punishment before pronouncing the sentence. Ravita asked the court to ensure the care of her young children, and Amardeep said his elderly parents had no one else to look after them. Counsel for the victim’s side also made submissions, and the hearing lasted around 30 minutes.
The Judge held that the case fell within the “rarest of rare” category, which is the test the Supreme Court has laid down for the death penalty. The reasoning in the judgment was not available when this report was written, and this article will be updated when the order can be read.
Confirmation and appeal
No death sentence passed by a Sessions Court takes effect until the High Court confirms it. The convicts also have the right to appeal against both the conviction and the sentence, and both remain open to challenge. The verdict came days after another Meerut court sentenced two convicts to death in the March 2025 murder that came to be known as the blue drum case.
Case Title: State v. Ravita and Another (descriptive title; case number not available)
Court: Sessions Court, Meerut (Additional Sessions Judge Jaiveer Singh Nagar)
Date of Conviction: October 7, 2026
Date of Sentence: October 16, 2026
Appearances: Additional District Government Counsel Farzana Maqsood for the prosecution; Advocate Omkar Singh Bhati for the convicts