The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to challenge the Allahabad High Court’s decision to clear Surendra Koli and his former employer Moninder Singh Pandher in the infamous 2006 Nithari killings case on October 17, 2023.
The Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli and Pandher, stating that the prosecution couldn’t prove their guilt and cited lack of evidence. This High Court’s decision came almost 17 years after the discovery of human remains from a drain outside Pandher’s home in Nithari village in Noida. The CBI took over the case in 2007.
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After studying the case and seeking legal advice, the CBI decided to challenge the acquittals in the Supreme Court, reported The Indian Express. Koli was acquitted in 12 cases, and Pandher in two. Both were initially sentenced to death in 2009 for charges including rape and murder.
“All the certified copies have been procured from the Ghaziabad Court and it’s been a mammoth exercise. Since all the documents are in Hindi, we have hired an agency to translate them into English. We are going to challenge their acquittal in the coming days in the Supreme Court,” a source told The Indian Express.
The High Court, in 2023, criticised the investigators for a flawed investigation and failure to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The CBI now aims to challenge these acquittals in the Supreme Court.
Surendra Koli, who worked as a domestic helper for Pandher and resided in his home, was acquitted in 12 cases related to the 2006 killings while Pandher was cleared in two cases against him. In 2009, both were initially sentenced to death by a CBI court in Ghaziabad for charges including rape, murder, and evidence destruction. Koli was the sole accused in 10 cases, and the co-accused alongside Pandher in two others.
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In its verdict, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation, highlighting that it was poorly conducted, and fundamental norms for collecting evidence were blatantly violated. The justices suggested that the investigation took an easier route by unfairly implicating a vulnerable household servant without adequately exploring more serious aspects, such as the potential involvement of organised activities like organ trading.
Infamous 2006 Nithari killings
The killings, which took place in Noida, a suburb of Delhi, in 2006, involved a series of gruesome murders that shocked the nation. The killings primarily occurred in Nithari village in Noida, where a large number of missing children and young women were brutally murdered.
The main accused in these heinous crimes were Moninder Singh Pandher, a businessman, and his domestic help, Surendra Koli. The discovery of human remains, including skulls, skeletal remains, and fragments of clothing belonging to missing girls, stuffed in gunny bags, was made near Pandher’s residence in Nithari. The victims were believed to be lured with promises of employment or other opportunities and then subjected to sexual assault and murder.
In 2007, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took charge of the investigation from the local Uttar Pradesh Police. The case gained a lot of attention because of how brutal the crimes were and the long time over which they happened.