Supreme court orders release of Surendra Koli, Nithari murder case accused, after 18 years in jail

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Koli, the main accused in the notorious Noida Nithari case, have received significant relief from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has upheld the Allahabad High Court's decision acquitting Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Koli.

In fact, a bench comprising CJI BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath accepted Koli's curative petition. This petition challenged the Supreme Court's decision upholding Surendra Koli's conviction. Koli filed this petition on the grounds that he had been acquitted in all other cases. Justice Vikram Nath, while delivering the order, declared that Koli was being acquitted of all charges and that he should be released immediately.

In today's verdict, the Supreme Court set aside both the February 15, 2011, decision upholding Koli's conviction and the October 28, 2014, order dismissing Koli's review petition. Koli was acquitted.

The Nithari massacre that shook the nation

It's worth noting that the entire case came to light in 2006 when the skeletons of several children and young women were recovered from a drain outside Moninder Singh Pandher's home in Nithari village, Noida. Investigations revealed that Moninder Singh Pandher was the owner of the house, while Surendra Koli was the house's servant. Koli was accused of these murders, rapes, and other inhumane acts. Koli was sentenced to death in a total of 16 cases.

 In January 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment due to inordinate delay in deciding on his mercy petition. Subsequently, in October 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli and co-accused Pandher in several other Nithari cases and overturned the death sentence awarded by the trial court in 2017. The court acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two cases. Subsequently, the Central Investigation Agency (CBI) and the families of the victims challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court dismissed all 14 appeals on July 30 this year.