The Nithari murder case was solved after the skeletons of eight children were found in a drain behind the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Nithari, Noida, on December 29, 2006. Koli was working as a domestic help at Pandher’s house at the time.
निठारी हत्याकांड: सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने सुरेंद्र कोली को किया बरी, नर पिशाच आदमखोर मोनिंदर सिंह पंढेर के घर पर करता था काम
The Supreme Court has acquitted Surendra Koli in one of the Nithari murder cases, accepting his curative petition challenging his conviction. Koli has already been acquitted in other Nithari murder cases.
The Nithari murder case was revealed in 2006
The Nithari murder case was revealed on December 29, 2006, after the skeletons of eight children were found in a drain behind the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Nithari, Noida. Koli was working as a domestic help at Pandher’s house at the time.
CJI-led bench delivers verdict
The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath, who heard Koli’s petition in open court.
Both sentence and fine set aside
The Supreme Court acquitted Koli in the case and set aside the sentence and fine awarded to him earlier. The bench said, “If the petitioner is not required in any other case or proceeding, he will be released immediately.”
Koli’s sentence was upheld in 2011
Koli was convicted for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Nithari village, Noida, and his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in February 2011.
His review petition was rejected in 2014. However, in January 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment due to the inordinate delay in deciding his mercy petition.
Allahabad High Court granted relief in 2023
In October 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli and co-accused Pandher in several other cases related to Nithari and overturned the death sentence awarded by the lower court in 2017. The court acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the victims’ families later challenged these acquittals in the Supreme Court, but the apex court dismissed all 14 appeals on July 30 of this year.
Questions raised about the credibility of the evidence
On October 7, the Supreme Court reserved its decision on Koli’s curative petition, stating that his plea was “acceptable.”
The bench noted that the conviction in the case was based primarily on a confession and the recovery of a kitchen knife, raising questions about the sufficiency of the evidence. The CBI took over the case and its search resulted in the recovery of more human remains.
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