Meerut lovers death sentenced for killing husband, then staging snakebite
What's the story
A Meerut court has sentenced Ravita and her lover, Amardeep, to death for the murder of her husband, Amit Kashyap, in April 2025. The couple was found guilty of strangling Amit and then placing a snake under his body to stage the death as a snakebite incident. The Additional District Judge-12 had convicted both Ravita and Amardeep on October 7 for murder and criminal conspiracy.
Trial details
Prosecution highlighted brutality of crime
During the sentencing arguments, District Government Counsel KK Chaubey highlighted the crime's brutality and motive and sought the maximum punishment.
He argued that placing a snake under Amit's body was an attempt to mislead investigators by concealing evidence and mislead investigators.
The prosecution also raised questions about the snake's venomous nature after snake-catching experts said it was non-venomous.
Snake charmers had said the snake was a horse-whip snake with no fangs. As such, its bite could not have caused death.
Legal arguments
Lawyer for Amit's family pushes for death penalty
A post-mortem report confirmed Amit died of asphyxia due to strangulation, not a snakebite.
Balraj Singh, the lawyer representing Amit's family, also pushed for the death penalty. He stressed that staging a snakebite was a serious aspect of the conspiracy.
Government counsel Sarzana Maksood echoed this sentiment during sentencing proceedings.
Maksood said after Amit became aware of the relationship, Ravita and Amardeep conspired to eliminate him. They allegedly purchased a snake from a snake charmer for ₹1,000.
Court's discretion
What happened on night of murderÂ
Ravita allegedly called Amardeep to her late on April 17, 2025, after Amit had gone to bed. The two allegedly strangled Amit before placing the snake on the bed to give the impression that he had died as a result of the bite. Amardeep then left while Ravita went to sleep in another room.
Family members discovered Amit's body the next morning with visible snake bites, prompting the family to believe he died after being bitten by a snake.