Supreme Court Upholds Acquittals of Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli in Nithari Killings Case

New Delhi, July 31 (TNA) The Supreme Court of India, in the infamous 2006 Nithari serial killings case, granted relief to the accused Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli by upholding their acquittals in multiple cases related to the crimes.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, along with Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and K Vinod Chandran, dismissed 14 appeals filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Uttar Pradesh government, and victim families that challenged the acquittal orders issued by the Allahabad High Court in 2023. The Supreme Court found “no perversity” in the High Court’s judgment, which had overturned the earlier convictions based largely on circumstantial evidence that was ruled insufficient to prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Key legal issues included lapses in the investigation, especially concerning the recovery of critical evidence such as human skulls and victims’ belongings.

The Court emphasised that under Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act, recoveries must be made following a voluntary statement from the accused and from locations exclusively known to them for the evidence to be admissible. The investigation had failed on these points, weakening the prosecution’s case.

While Moninder Singh Pandher was acquitted in all cases against him, Surendra Koli, though acquitted in 12 of the Nithari cases, will continue to remain in jail due to a separate life sentence related to the 2005 murder of a minor girl named Rimpa Haldar.

This Supreme Court decision marks the closure of a long and painful chapter in one of India’s most gruesome criminal cases, which involved the abduction, rape, and murder of children and young women in the Nithari village area of Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

The verdict has been met with mixed reactions, as families of the victims and victims’ rights advocates express distress over the acquittals amid criticism of investigative agencies for procedural lapses and mishandling of vital evidence.

• December 16, 2006: Two Nithari village residents report the location of missing children’s remains, leading to the discovery near Moninder Singh Pandher’s house in Noida.

• December 29, 2006: Police find skeletal remains of eight children in the drainage behind Pandher’s house; suspects Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surinder Koli are arrested.

• December 30-31, 2006: More skeletal remains found; political pressure mounts, leading to suspension of two beat constables.

• January 5, 2007: Uttar Pradesh Police take Pandher and Koli for narco-analysis tests in Gandhinagar.

• January 10, 2007: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) takes over the investigation.

• January 11-12, 2007: CBI discovers about 30 more bones and interrogates the accused.

• January 20, 2007: Uttar Pradesh government files a report to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

• February 8, 2007: Special CBI court sends Pandher and Koli to 14 days of CBI custody.

• February 12, 2007: NHRC forms a committee to study the case.

• March 22, 2007: CBI files the first chargesheet; Pandher faces lesser charges, Koli is charged with murders, rape, and kidnapping.

• May 1, 2007: Parents of victims move court against CBI for letting Pandher off in kidnapping and murder charges.

• September 6, 2007: Body of Jatin Sarkar, father of a victim, found in West Bengal.

• November 1, 2007: Supreme Court issues notice to CBI on allegations they shielded Pandher.

• December 13, 2007: Charges framed against Pandher for the rape and murder of two teenagers.

• February 12, 2009: Special Judge pronounces Pandher and Koli guilty of rape and murder, sentencing them to death.

• January 7, 2010: Supreme Court upholds the death sentence of Surinder Koli.

• October 16, 2023: Allahabad High Court acquits both Pandher and Koli, citing lack of evidence; acquittals upheld by Supreme Court in 2025.