The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on April 3 to consider a batch of petitions challenging the acquittal of Surendra Koli in the infamous 2006 Nithari serial killings. This announcement follows the Allahabad High Court’s controversial decision on October 16, 2023, to acquit Koli, a verdict that has since ignited significant legal and public debate.
The petitions, including those filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Uttar Pradesh government, were presented before a bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih. The counsel representing the victims described the case as “extraordinary,” highlighting the horrific nature of the crimes where several children went missing over two years, with their skeletal remains later discovered near Nithari, Noida.
During the brief session on Tuesday, one of the lawyers requested an expedited review due to the case’s severity and implications. The court responded affirmatively, setting the date for the upcoming hearing.
Koli’s defense has argued that the primary evidence against him was a confessional statement made days after his initial custody—a point of contention regarding its admissibility and authenticity. The high court’s acquittal was based on what it termed a “botched up” investigation, citing failures by the prosecution to prove guilt “beyond reasonable doubt.”
This case, which originally resulted in Koli being sentenced to death by a trial court on September 28, 2010, along with his employer Moninder Singh Pandher, has been a focal point of significant judicial scrutiny. Both were accused of the rape and murder of several individuals, mostly children, from their neighborhood. However, the high court later reversed the death sentence for Koli in 12 cases and for Pandher in two, leading to a complex series of legal proceedings that continue to unravel.
The Nithari killings first came to light with the recovery of children’s skeletal remains from a drain behind Pandher’s residence in Noida on December 29, 2006. Subsequent investigations and excavations in the area uncovered further human remains, painting a gruesome picture of the serial killings that shocked the nation.
