Nithari killings: Supreme Court acquits Surendra Koli in last case

Surendra Koli had earlier been found guilty and sentenced for killing a 15-year-old girl, and the top court had upheld that verdict in 2011

The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surendra Koli in the final murder and rape case linked to the Nithari killings, effectively clearing him of all charges and paving the way for his release, according to a report by Bar & Bench.

 

According to the report, the Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath acquitted Koli and set aside his conviction in the last case. "The petitioner is acquitted of the charges. The petitioner shall be released forthwith," Justice Nath said while pronouncing the verdict.

Surendra Koli filed a curative petition

The Supreme Court had agreed to review Surendra Koli’s conviction after he filed a special appeal called a curative petition. 

 

Koli had earlier been found guilty and sentenced for killing a 15-year-old girl, and the top court had upheld that verdict in 2011. However, this year he approached the court again after the Allahabad High Court cleared him of charges in 12 other similar cases.

 

The top court noted that his earlier conviction was mainly based on his statement and the recovery of a kitchen knife, and said that the situation was unusual since he had been acquitted in all the other cases.

Nithari killings shocked the nation

The Nithari murders, which happened between 2005 and 2006, shocked the whole country. The case came to light in December 2006 when skeletons were found in a drain near a house in Nithari village, Noida. The house belonged to Moninder Singh Pandher, and Koli worked there as his servant.

 

The CBI started investigating and filed many cases. Koli was accused in all of them of murder, kidnapping, rape, and destroying evidence, while Pandher was charged in one case with immoral trafficking. Koli was later found guilty of raping and killing several girls and was given the death sentence in more than ten cases.

 

The case received renewed attention last year after the release of the Netflix movie ‘Sector 36’, starring Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal, which is loosely based on the Nithari killings.