Latest news with #SurendraKoli
New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Nithari case: SC rejects pleas against acquittal of accused
NEW DELHI: In a major setback to the CBI, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed as many as 14 appeals filed by the probe agency last year against the order of the Allahabad High Court acquitting Surendra Koli, the accused in the 2006 Nithari serial killings case in Noida. 'There is no perversity in the findings of the Allahabad High Court order acquitting Koli,' said a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and K Vinod Chandran. The top court rejected the findings of the CBI, as it found serious lacunae in the probe agency's investigation. While rejecting the appeal of the CBI, the bench in its order clarified that any recovery made without recording the statement of the accused by the police is not admissible as evidence under the Evidence law. 'Only those recoveries that are made from a place accessible to the accused only can be admitted as evidence in a case primarily hinging on circumstantial evidence,' the top court added. Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Koli were accused of rape and murder of people, mostly children from their neighbourhood. Earlier, the apex court had issued a notice and sought a response from Koli on the appeals filed by the CBI and the Uttar Pradesh govt. In July 2017, the special CBI court judge Pawan Kumar Tiwari, in his verdict, held Pandher and Koli guilty for killing a 20-year-old woman, Pinki Sarkar, and sentenced them to death for their 'brutal and diabolical crime.'
NDTV
30-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal Of Surendra Koli In Nithari Case, Dismisses CBI Plea
New Delhi: After two decades, a final legal ruling has concluded one of India's most notorious criminal cases. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea challenging the Allahabad High Court's 2023 acquittal of Surendra Koli, the prime accused in the gruesome 2006 Nithari serial killings, finding no perversity in the High Court's rulings. The CBI filed the plea for the Uttar Pradesh government and a victim's family, seeking to overturn the High Court's 2023 ruling that acquitted Koli because of insufficient evidence. The Court emphasized that only recoveries from places exclusively accessible to the accused can be admitted as evidence. It noted that the recovery of victims' skulls and belongings from an open drain was not based on Koli's statement, and recoveries made without recording the accused's statement are inadmissible under evidence law. The Nithari killings emerged in 2006 when human remains were found in a drain outside a Noida home. These murders shocked India due to their brutality. The case involved the killings of several children and young women and included horrifying claims of rape, cannibalism, and neglect, capturing public attention. Surendra Koli, a domestic worker, and his employer, Moninder Singh Pandher, were initially convicted. However, the Allahabad High Court acquitted them in 2023, stating that the prosecution had not proven their guilt "beyond reasonable doubt" and described the investigation as "botched up." The emotional impact on the victims' families is unfathomable. For the defence, the ruling represents a triumph of due process. Manisha Bhandari, the lawyer representing Pandher, who was also acquitted, expressed relief at the verdict. Bhandari told NDTV, "We started in 2009. In 2025, it's finally over. They filed appeals, but they've all been dismissed. I'm still processing it." The Nithari killings sparked widespread outrage and raised serious questions about investigative lapses. In its 2023 ruling, the Allahabad High Court, while overturning the death sentences given to Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two cases, called the probe "nothing short of a betrayal of public trust by responsible agencies." A total of 19 cases were lodged against the duo in 2007. The CBI filed closure reports in three cases because of insufficient evidence. Koli was found not guilty in three of the 16 remaining cases, and his death sentence in one case was changed to life imprisonment. Advocate Pramod Kumar remarked, "The suffering of the victims is undeniable and represents a significant loss to the nation. Accountability must be fixed. The investigation was not conducted properly, resulting in a lack of evidence. The courts have delivered concurrent judgments. The case has reached finality due to lapses by the prosecution and investigative agencies, which failed to meet judicial scrutiny."
Hindustan Times
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Nithari case: SC dismisses 14 appeals challenging acquittal of Surendra Koli
New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed as many as 14 appeals against the acquittal of accused Surendra Koli in the sensational 2006 Nithari serial killings case. Nithari case: SC dismisses 14 appeals challenging acquittal of Surendra Koli A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and K Vinod Chandran said that there was "no perversity" in the findings of the Allahabad High Court acquitting Koli. Referring to Section 27 of the Evidence Act, the CJI said the recovery of skulls and other belongings of the victims from an open drain was not made following the statement of Koli before the police. The bench said any recovery made without recording the statement of the accused by the police is not admissible as evidence under the Evidence law. It said only those recoveries, which are made from a place accessible to the accused only, can be admitted as evidence in a case primarily hinging on circumstantial evidence. The top court last year agreed to examine separate pleas, including those filed by the CBI and the Uttar Pradesh government, challenging the Allahabad High Court's decision acquitting Koli on October 16, 2023. One of the pleas was filed by the father of one of the victims challenging the high court's verdict. Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Koli were accused of rape and murder of people, mostly children from their neighbourhood in Nithari in Uttar Pradesh. Koli was awarded the death penalty on September 28, 2010 by the trial court. The high court acquitted Pandher and Koli in the death penalty case, holding the prosecution's failure to prove their guilt "beyond reasonable doubt" and called it a "botched up" investigation. Reversing the death sentence given to Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two cases, the high court said the probe was "nothing short of a betrayal of public trust by responsible agencies". This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
New Indian Express
30-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Nithari case: SC dismisses 14 appeals challenging acquittal of Surendra Koli
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed as many as 14 appeals against the acquittal of accused Surendra Koli in the sensational 2006 Nithari serial killings case. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and K Vinod Chandran said that there was "no perversity" in the findings of the Allahabad High Court acquitting Koli. Referring to Section 27 of the Evidence Act, the CJI said the recovery of skulls and other belongings of the victims from an open drain was not made following the statement of Koli before the police. The bench said any recovery made without recording the statement of the accused by the police is not admissible as evidence under the Evidence law. It said only those recoveries, which are made from a place accessible to the accused only, can be admitted as evidence in a case primarily hinging on circumstantial evidence.
