![[Nithari Killings Case] SC Agrees to Hear CBI's Appeal Against High Court's Acquittal of Surendra Koli](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-75-1.png?fit=820%2C461&ssl=1)
Today, On 14th August, the Supreme Court agreed to consider a new plea from the CBI challenging the Allahabad High Court’s acquittal of Surendra Koli in the notorious 2006 Nithari serial killings case. Koli, who had initially been convicted for the brutal murders, was acquitted by the High Court, prompting the CBI to seek the Supreme Court’s intervention.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, On Wednesday, agreed to consider a new plea filed by the CBI challenging the Allahabad High Court‘s decision to acquit Surendra Koli in the infamous 2006 Nithari serial killings case.
A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan combined the CBI’s plea with other pending petitions related to the High Court’s October 16, 2024, ruling. Previously, on July 19, the Supreme Court had agreed to review separate petitions filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Uttar Pradesh government against the High Court’s decision.
Read Also: [Nithari Killings Case]| Supreme Court to Hear Plea Against Acquittal
The court also issued a notice to Koli, requesting his response to these petitions.
Additionally, in May, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition from the father of one of the victims, challenging the High Court‘s acquittal of Koli in a related case. In that case, Moninder Singh Pandher acquitted by the sessions court, while Koli was sentenced to death on September 28, 2010.
The High Court, however, later acquitted both Pandher and his employee Koli, citing that the prosecution failed to prove guilt “beyond reasonable doubt” and criticized the investigation as “botched up.”
A total of 19 cases filed against Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli in 2007. Due to insufficient evidence, the CBI submitted closure reports in three of these cases. Of the remaining 16 cases, Koli had previously been acquitted in three, and his death sentence in one case was reduced to life imprisonment.
The shocking killings uncovered when the skeletal remains of eight children found in a drain behind Pandher’s residence in Nithari, Noida, near the national capital, on December 29, 2006. Further excavation and searches in the drains around the area led to the discovery of additional skeletal remains, most of which belonged to impoverished children and young women who had gone missing from the area. Within 10 days, the CBI took over the investigation, leading to the recovery of more remains.
Pandher and Koli faced charges of rape and murder, receiving death penalties for the crimes which deeply shocked the nation due to the horrifying nature of the assaults, vicious killings, and indications of potential cannibalism.
The high court observed that the prosecution’s case relied on a confession made by Koli to the Uttar Pradesh Police on December 29, 2006. However, the appropriate procedure for recording his statement, which led to the discovery of biological remains such as skulls, bones, and skeletons, was completely disregarded. The court upheld multiple appeals filed by Koli and Pandher, who challenged the death sentence imposed by a CBI court in Ghaziabad.
The high court observed that the prosecution’s position underwent multiple alterations, initially implicating both Pandher and Koli in recoveries, but eventually singling out Koli as solely culpable. In total, 19 cases filed against Pandher and Koli in 2007.
The CBI submitted closure reports in three cases due to insufficient evidence. In the remaining 16 cases, Koli previously acquitted in three, and his death sentence in one reduced to life imprisonment.
The shocking killings uncovered on December 29, 2006, when the skeletal remains of eight children discovered in a drain behind Pandher’s house in Nithari, Noida, near the national capital. Further excavations and searches of drains around Pandher’s residence revealed more skeletal remains. Most of these remains belonged to impoverished children and young women who had gone missing from the area. Within 10 days, the CBI took over the investigation, leading to the discovery of additional remains.
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