Supreme Court acquits Surendra Koli in Nithari murder case, orders immediate release
Koli, who worked as a domestic help at Noida home of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, had been accused in multiple murder and rape cases linked to the 2006 Nithari killings
PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surendra Koli in one of the Nithari murder cases, allowing his curative petition that challenged his conviction and sentence. This ruling effectively clears the way for his release, officials confirmed.
Koli, who worked as a domestic help at the Noida home of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, had been accused in multiple murder and rape cases linked to the 2006 Nithari killings. The horrific crimes came to light when skeletal remains of eight children were discovered in a drain behind Pandher’s residence on December 29, 2006.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath delivered the verdict, noting that “the curative petition is allowed.” The court also quashed Koli’s conviction, sentence and fine, directing that “the petitioner shall be released forthwith, if not required in any other case.”
Koli had been convicted for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl from Nithari, and the Supreme Court had upheld his conviction in 2011. His review plea was rejected in 2014, but in 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment, citing delays in his mercy petition.
In October 2023, the High Court went on to acquit both Koli and Pandher in several other Nithari cases, overturning their death sentences issued in 2017. Koli was acquitted in 12 cases, while Pandher was cleared in two.
Although the CBI and families of the victims appealed these acquittals, the Supreme Court dismissed all 14 appeals on July 30, 2024.
On October 7, the apex court reserved its verdict on Koli’s curative plea, observing that his case “deserves to be allowed.” The Bench noted an “anomalous situation” had arisen since Koli had already been acquitted in all related cases, and the conviction largely rested on a single statement and recovery of a kitchen knife, raising doubts about the sufficiency of evidence.
The CBI investigation into the Nithari killings had earlier led to the recovery of more human remains, making the case one of India’s most disturbing crime stories in recent decades.