Supreme Court Overturns Conviction in Final Nithari Case
In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India has acquitted Surendra Koli, the prime accused in the gruesome Nithari killings, in the last pending case against him. A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath set aside his conviction for the rape and murder of a teenage girl and ordered his immediate release, provided he is not wanted in any other case. The decision was made while allowing Koli's curative petition, bringing a close to a nearly two-decade-long legal battle.
The Horrific Discovery That Shocked a Nation
The Nithari killings first came to public light on December 29, 2006, when the skeletal remains of eight children were discovered in a drain behind businessman Moninder Singh Pandher's house in Noida. Koli worked as a domestic help at Pandher's residence. Subsequent investigations and digging around the property led to the recovery of more skeletal remains, most of which were identified as belonging to poor children and young women from the local area who had been reported missing.
The police eventually registered a total of 19 FIRs against Pandher and Koli in connection with crimes against 19 girls. The two were arrested in the same month and faced horrific accusations, including abduction, rape, murder, acts of cannibalism, and the disposal of victims' bodies. Koli was alleged to have killed the girls, chopped their bodies, and discarded them in the backyard.
A Long and Winding Legal Journey
The legal proceedings saw numerous twists and turns over the years. Initially, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ghaziabad had convicted both men and awarded them the death penalty in several cases. However, on October 16, 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two.
In the specific case that led to this final Supreme Court verdict, a special CBI court had convicted both men for the death of a 14-year-old girl. The Allahabad High Court later upheld Koli's conviction and death sentence but acquitted Pandher. Koli's appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed in 2011, and a subsequent review petition was also rejected. In a turn of events in January 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted Koli's death sentence to life imprisonment in this case, citing an "inordinate delay in the disposal of the mercy petition."
Koli had remained in prison because of this life sentence, even after the High Court's mass acquittals in 2023. In July of this year, the Supreme Court bench also dismissed all appeals filed by the CBI and victims' families challenging the acquittals of the accused. With today's curative petition ruling, the final legal barrier to Koli's release has been removed, concluding one of the most chilling criminal cases in India's recent history.
