Supreme Court upholds Allahabad HC's acquittal of Surendra Koli in 12 Nithari killing cases
Hearing appeals by parents of a woman who was raped and murdered, UP govt and CBI, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and K Vinod Chandran put just one question to additional solicitor general Rajkumar B Thakare, who appeared for the prosecution, and senior advocate Geeta Luthra, who appeared for the parents - show us a single perversity in the appreciation of evidence by the HC.
The SC also dismissed appeals against acquittal of Koli's employer Moninder Singh Pandher in two cases.
These 12 cases against Koli and two against Pandher were based on circumstantial evidence and alleged confessional statements of Koli, who was convicted by the trial court for the murders and awarded death sentence.
You Can Also Check:
Delhi AQI
|
Weather in Delhi
|
Bank Holidays in Delhi
|
Public Holidays in Delhi
Despite the acquittals in 12 cases, Koli will remain in jail as he is serving a life term in another case of murder in which the SC has confirmed his conviction.
Koli and Pandher surged on national notoriety charts in 2006 after police nailed them to what came to be referred as Nithari gangrape and murder case: a sensational one involving lust and murder and alleged cannibalism.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Libas Purple Days Sale
Libas
Undo
Koli was accused of luring poor minor children for his employer, Pandher, and eating the flesh of his victims whom he would rape and kill.
CJI Gavai said it appeared that the trial court, given the enormity of the case and media pressure, convicted the accused. "We must compliment the HC judges for writing such a correct verdict despite media pressure. You (the prosecution) are not able to point out a single perversity in the high court order acquitting the accused," the bench said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Stay home to not get raped: traffic cops-sponsored signs
1 2 Ahmedabad: 'Attending late-night parties could invite rape or gang rape'. 'Do not take your friend to dark, isolated areas. What if there is a rape or gang rape?' This is what posters on 'women's safety' sponsored by the city traffic police say in big bold letters. Their sexist, alarmist and fear-mongering nature has invited widespread anger and raised questions about city traffic police's judgment and accountability. The posters in Gujarati were seen plastered on dividers in areas like Sola and Chandlodia, with several of them carrying the name of a group called 'Satarkta', and mentioning Ahmedabad traffic police as a sponsor. Top police officers, including Neeta Desai, DCP (Traffic West) and Shailesh Modi, ACP (Traffic Admin) confirmed that permission was indeed granted to Satarkta to put up posters "for traffic awareness". But when the contentious content of the posters went viral on social media and backlash erupted, police distanced themselves from the controversy. "The posters have now been removed," said Modi, admitting they appeared "indecent". N N Chaudhary, additional commissioner of police (traffic), also clarified that Satarkta Group, reportedly run by a local scribe, was allowed to put up traffic awareness posters, not messages laced with threats of sexual violence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Chuck Norris Begs Seniors: Avoid These 3 Foods Completely Undo "We never approved such language. It is unacceptable," he said. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Meanwhile, citizens said the posters were clearly alarmist. "How could posters with such insensitive messaging that indirectly blame women for sexual violence be allowed to go up under official sanction? What kind of scrutiny was done before permission was given?" asked Ghatlodia resident Dr Bhumi Patel. Gayatri Shah, a fitness trainer from Bodakdev, said the posters reduced women's safety to moral policing. "They undermine the very idea of public awareness by peddling fear and control instead of responsibility and protection," she said. "These posters reflect a mindset that blames victims and absolves institutions of their failure to ensure safety without having to resort to fear-mongering," said Nehrunagar resident Minal Solanki.
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Op Muskaan: Hundreds of children forced into work rescued
Hyderabad: Hundreds of children working as labourers were rescued across the state, and FIRs registered against those who employing them. The children were either handed over to their parents after being counselled not to send them to work or placed in the care of child welfare authorities. In 'Operation Muskaan' undertaken by the police and officials of various departments from July 1 to July 30, children — both boys and girls — under 18 years of age were rescued from brick kilns, mechanic shops, forced begging, poultry farms, cattle herding, hotels, kirana shops, medical shops, and from streets where they were found begging. The authorities also uploaded information about missing children in the 'Darpan' app to help trace their addresses. In Siddipet commissionerate limits, 94 children, including 10 girls, were rescued. The rescued children are from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Nepal, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Meghalaya. The police registered 27 cases against those who employed them. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad In Nizamabad, Armoor, and Bodhan, 154 children, including six girls, were rescued. FIRs were registered in 15 cases against those who employed them. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Best SIP Plans for NRIs in Albania – Get ₹2L Monthly Pension | Invest ₹18K PB Learn More Undo In Bhadradri Kothagudem, Operation Muskaan-X1 phase saw 54 child labourers being rescued, including 10 girls. Of the total, 43 were handed over to their parents, and one was sent to a govt-run home. Cases were filed against 39 people for employing children, and notices were sent to 13 of them. As many as 133 children employed in Mahbubnagar were rescued and handed over to their parents or relatives. Apart from the police, the Child Welfare Committee, labour department, education department, child protection department, and health department also participated in the operation. Of the total children rescued in Mahbubnagar, 122 were boys and 11 girls. Among these, 38 belonged to other states. Police registered 43 cases against their employers.
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
50% of Smart City cameras non-functional: Police report
Thiruvananthapuram: Around 50% of surveillance cameras installed under Smart City project across the state capital are reportedly not functioning, says a report by city police. According to the report, nearly all cameras are currently offline, severely limiting the city's real-time monitoring capabilities. Sources close to the police indicate that only a handful of the integrated cameras, meant to oversee traffic flow, public spaces and environmental violations are operational. Civic activists and citizens have expressed concerns about the lack of monitoring, particularly regarding traffic rule violations, illegal dumping of garbage and unauthorised parking. The police commissioner has also written to Smart City CEO detailing the issue. A senior police officer has confirmed the issue. "At present, more than 50% of the cameras under Smart City infrastructure are out of service. This hampers our ability to respond quickly to violations and emergencies across the city. These AI-powered systems were designed to detect offences such as red-light jumping, illegal parking and roadside waste dumping, many of which go unchecked due to the non-functional cameras," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Meanwhile, a senior Smart City official told TOI that the police report was incorrect and the majority of the cameras were functional. "The city police certified in 2024 that all the cameras were functional. Now, the police team has changed and the new team is levelling allegations. We will counter it with the details we have," the official said. The official added that the city police commissioner sent a letter to Smart City CEO in Sept 2024 stating that after a technical inspection, all cameras were found working. "Now, when they checked four cameras, two were found defunct and they concluded that 50% of the cameras in the city are damaged. It is completely wrong," the official said. The company responsible for the maintenance, which has a five-year annual maintenance contract, said that they were rectifying the issues based on the defects reported by the police. "It is not true that most of the cameras were damaged. In total there are over 1,000 cameras in the city and 98% of them are functional. If any defects are reported, we will rectify them as soon as possible," a company official said. Under the city's smart surveillance initiative, high-definition cameras feed back to the integrated command and control centre (ICCC) and traffic and safety command centre (TSCCC), where real-time AI analysis triggers alerts and sends automatic penalty notices. However, with many cameras offline, the automation is largely suspended. "Now we are physically monitoring major junctions and hotspots. But on-ground enforcement cannot substitute for automated coverage, especially when human resources are limited," a senior officer said.
