'Did ghost kill children?': Nithari victims' families question accused's acquittal
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surendra Koli, one of the accused in the infamous Nithari killings. The court said that Koli's conviction in a single case could not be maintained after he was acquitted in 12 other related cases on similar evidence, calling it "anomalous and unjust." This has led to the families of the Nithari killings victims expressing shock and disbelief over the decision, who asked whether "a ghost" killed their children.
Evidence scrutiny
Court finds procedural violations, gaps in forensic analysis
The SC bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, had questioned the reliability of evidence that had failed to prove Koli's guilt in 12 cases but was still being used to convict him in one. The court found procedural violations in recording his Section 164 statement and highlighted gaps in forensic analysis. It also noted that there was no credible chain of custody or expert testimony linking Koli to the crime.
Legal emphasis
Reaction of victims' families
Reacting to the verdict, the father of a deceased child said, "We were pained when Pandher (Moninder Singh Pandher) was acquitted...Pandher had admitted to his crime....If Koli (Surendra Koli) is not responsible for it, if Pandher is not responsible for it, why were they jailed for all these years?" A mother of one of the victims also questioned the acquittal, saying, "Was there a ghost in that house that killed all the children? Law is letting them go; God won't."
Case background
What were Nithari killings?
The Nithari killings, which took place between 2005 and 2006, involved the abduction, rape, and murder of 19 children and women from Noida's Sector-31. Pandher was arrested along with Koli in December 2006 after skeletal remains were found behind his house. Both were accused of organ trafficking and cannibalism, although these allegations were not conclusively proven in court.
HC
Allahabad High Court acquitted both Koli and Pandher
In October 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted both Koli and Pandher in the remaining cases, criticizing the CBI's investigation as "botched up" and noting that organ trade as a motive wasn't investigated. The CBI and families of the victims then appealed against the acquittals, but the Supreme Court dismissed all 14 appeals in July.