In a landmark judgment that concludes one of India's most notorious criminal cases, the Supreme Court has acquitted Surendra Koli in the final remaining case connected to the 2006 Nithari serial killings. The court ordered his immediate release, bringing closure to a legal battle that has spanned nearly two decades.
Court Delivers Final Verdict
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath delivered the decisive ruling on Tuesday. Justice Nath pronounced the order, stating that Koli is acquitted of all charges in this final case. The court allowed Koli's curative petition and directed that he be released immediately, provided he is not wanted in any other cases.
The bench set aside Koli's conviction in what represented his last remaining legal battle related to the Nithari killings. This development follows his previous acquittal in 12 other cases connected to the same investigation. The Supreme Court's decision specifically addresses Koli's curative petition filed against the 2011 Supreme Court judgment that had confirmed his conviction in this particular case.
Legal Journey and Previous Acquittals
Koli's legal team successfully argued that the evidence used against him in this final case had already been deemed unreliable in the other 12 cases where he was subsequently acquitted. This strategic legal argument proved crucial in securing his final acquittal.
This judgment represents the culmination of a series of legal victories for Koli. In July, the Supreme Court had already dismissed appeals from the CBI, Uttar Pradesh government, and victims' families against the Allahabad High Court's verdict that had acquitted both Koli and co-accused Moninder Singh Pandher in the other Nithari killings cases.
The Allahabad High Court had previously, on October 16, 2023, acquitted Pandher and Koli in several cases concerning the Nithari killings and overturned the death penalty that had been imposed on them by the trial court back in September 2010. The High Court had acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in 2 cases where they were previously found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.
Background of the Nithari Case
The Nithari killings case first shocked the nation in December 2006 when numerous skeletons were discovered in a drain near a house in Nithari village, Noida. The house belonged to businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, while Surendra Koli worked there as his domestic helper.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had registered 16 separate cases against Koli and Pandher concerning the rape and killing of young girls from the neighborhood. The gruesome nature of the crimes and the number of victims made it one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent Indian history.
Koli faced charges in all cases, including murder, abduction, rape, and destruction of evidence, while Pandher was named in six of the cases. Both men had been convicted for multiple rapes and murders of several girls and had received death sentences in more than ten cases before the recent acquittals.
The Supreme Court's final acquittal of Surendra Koli marks the end of a long and complex legal process that has seen multiple appeals, overturned convictions, and ultimately, the release of both primary accused in the Nithari serial killings case.
