The Supreme Court has issued a notice to Surendra Koli, accused in the Nithari murder case, seeking his response within four weeks. The court has also tagged the case with the original petition filed by the CBI against Koli’s acquittal by the Allahabad High Court. A bench led by Justice BR Gavai is hearing the case.
The Allahabad High Court had earlier reversed the death sentences of Koli in twelve cases and Maninder Singh Pandher in two cases. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt based on circumstantial evidence.
In the Nithari case, which occurred in Noida between 2005 and 2006, the CBI accused Surendra Koli of murder, kidnapping, rape, and destruction of evidence. Pandher faced accusations of human trafficking. Both had challenged their death sentences in the Allahabad High Court, arguing that no eyewitnesses existed and that their convictions relied solely on scientific and circumstantial evidence.
On May 7, 2006, Pandher lured a young woman from Nithari under the pretext of offering her a job. She never returned home. Her father filed a missing person’s report at Sector 20 police station in Noida. On December 29, 2006, police discovered the skeletons of 19 children and women in a drain behind Pandher’s Nithari bungalow. Authorities arrested Pandher and his servant, Surendra Koli. All cases related to the Nithari incident were later transferred to the CBI.
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