New Delhi: Surendra Koli, infamously dubbed the “Butcher of Nithari”, has been set free by the Supreme Court after allowing his curative petition — marking a dramatic end to one of India’s most controversial criminal cases, marred by allegations of a botched investigation, media sensationalism, and unfounded theories of cannibalism.
The suspect, who lived in Noida’s Nithari hamlet, was released by a bench that included Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath. Despite facing 19 criminal cases, Koli has emerged clean, as has his now-acquitted boss, Mohinder Singh Pandher.
Justice Vikram Nath read out the bench’s ruling, saying, “The curative petition is allowed.”
Koli, 53, will be released from jail after being acquitted of all other charges.
The 2006 Nithari killings drew national attention after the abduction of kids from the village was related to the discovery of human remains in a sewer outside Pandher’s Noida Sector-31 home, which became known as the “House of Horrors”.
The investigation into the case, which included charges of child and young woman abduction as well as horrible claims of rape, cannibalism, and organ theft, resulted in 19 cases, some of which led to Koli’s conviction and death sentence.
Koli, a domestic helper, and his employer, Mohinder Singh Pandher, were initially found guilty in the case. In 2007, the two were charged in 19 separate crimes. The CBI submitted closure reports in three instances due to insufficient evidence. Koli was judged not guilty in three of the remaining 16 instances, and his death sentence in one was commuted to life imprisonment.
Due to the excessive delay in deciding on his mercy appeal, the Allahabad High Court remitted his death sentence to life imprisonment in 2015. In 2023, the court acquitted Koli and co-accused Pandher, claiming that the prosecution had failed to prove their guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt” and describing the investigation as “botched.”
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted Koli a new life free of criminal charges and deferred all other sentences imposed on him in previous instances.
The matter was initially investigated by the Noida police but was later turned over to the CBI, which had filed 19 FIRs about the suspected serial murders.
More Law News on www.mediaeyenews.com
Photo Source: IANS
–IANS
