A Meerut court on Friday sentenced a woman and her friend, with whom she was in a relationship, to death for killing her husband last year and leaving a live snake beside his body to make it appear like a case of snakebite.Additional District and Sessions Judge Jaiveer Singh Nagar awarded death penalty to Ravita Kashyap, 30, and Amardeep, 23, for the murder of Amit Kashyap, 32, court officials said.The sentencing comes two days after Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla were sentenced to death in the Meerut ‘blue drum’ murder case. The two murdered Muskan’s husband, Saurabh Rajput. His dismembered body was found in a blue drum filled with liquid cement at their home last year. Ravita and Muskan share the same barrack — Barrack 2B — in the Chaudhary Charan Singh District Jail.Amit, 32, earned his living laying tiles and stone in Meerut’s Akbarpur Sadat village. Amardeep worked with him and regularly visited his home, where he allegedly grew close to Ravita. When Amit reportedly learnt about their relationship, the two allegedly conspired to kill him.According to the prosecution, Amit was found dead on his bed on April 13, 2025, with a live horse-whip snake near his body and marks on his skin. Ravita told the family he had died of a snakebite, and they initially believed her. However, marks on Amit’s neck raised suspicions among his relatives, who insisted that his body be taken to a hospital for a post-mortem examination. The report revealed that he had been strangled. It also emerged that the snake was non-venomous.Police registered a case and questioned Ravita, who allegedly admitted to the crime and spoke of her relationship with Amardeep. The two were arrested and sent to jail.During questioning, it emerged that the accused had bought a snake from a snake charmer for Rs 1,000, saying they needed it for worship at a devotional gathering.Story continues below this adOn the night of April 12, after Amit had gone to sleep, Ravita allegedly called Amardeep to the house. The two allegedly killed Amit and released the snake on his bed. Amardeep then left, while Ravita went to sleep in another room.The court had held Ravita and Amardeep guilty of murder and conspiracy on October 7. Amardeep, who had been out on bail, was taken into custody, while Ravita was already in judicial custody. “The court sentenced both Ravita and Amardeep to death. The court examined 12 prosecution witnesses,” said Additional District Government Counsel, Meerut, Farzana Maqsood.Defence Counsel, Omkar Bhati, said they would file an appeal against the judgment.While sentencing the two, the court cited the Manusmriti, saying “fear of punishment keeps society under control”.Story continues below this adSeeking maximum punishment, citing the gravity and brutality of the crime, the prosecution also cited previous Supreme Court and high court judgments. — PTI inputsStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:lucknow