The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the acquittal of Surendra Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher in multiple cases related to the 2006 Nithari serial killings. While Pandher has been completely acquitted in all the cases, Koli remains imprisoned in Rimpa Haldar’s murder case.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai dismissed appeals filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Uttar Pradesh government, and families of the victims challenging the 2023 Allahabad High Court verdict.
The High Court had reversed the death sentences awarded to Koli in 12 cases and to Pandher in two cases. These acquittals were based on severe lapses in the investigation and prosecution, with the court raising pointed questions about the performance of the investigating agencies.
Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Koli’s acquittals in 12 cases, he will continue to remain in prison due to a life sentence awarded to him by the Allahabad High Court in the 2005 murder of 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar. “The convict (Koli) will continue to remain in jail because of a life term in one of the Nithari cases,” a CBI spokesperson confirmed.
Koli, a domestic help employed by Pandher, was initially sentenced to death by a Ghaziabad sessions court in 2009 for Haldar’s murder. The verdict was upheld by the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court in 2009 and 2011, respectively. His execution was halted following the filing of a mercy petition, which was ultimately rejected by the President in 2014. However, in January 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment, citing an inordinate delay of over three years in the processing of his mercy petition.
Moninder Singh Pandher has now been completely acquitted in all six cases filed against him. He was initially convicted in two cases and acquitted in the remaining four — three by lower courts and the rest by the High Court.
The Nithari case, which came to light in December 2006 with the discovery of skeletal remains of children behind Pandher’s residence in Noida, led to national outrage. A total of 19 cases were lodged against the duo in 2007. The CBI eventually closed three cases due to lack of evidence.
The remaining cases saw multiple convictions against Koli, most of which have now been overturned.
An appeal against Koli’s life sentence in the Rimpa Haldar case is still pending before the Supreme Court.
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