Supreme Court Allows Surendra Koli's Curative Petition in Notorious Nithari Killings Case

The Nithari killings were uncovered in 2006.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court accepted a curative petition filed by Surendra Koli, who was implicated in the Nithari murder cases, challenging his conviction and death penalty. Following this ruling, Koli will be released from prison as he has already been cleared in all other related cases.

The verdict was delivered by a bench consisting of Chief Justice B R Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath.

"The curative petition is allowed," stated Justice Vikram Nath.

The Nithari killings were discovered in 2006 when human remains were detected in a drain outside a residence in Noida. The case involved the murders of numerous children and young women, with disturbing allegations of rape, cannibalism, and negligence, which captivated public attention.

Koli, who worked as a domestic helper, and his employer, Mohinder Singh Pandher, were originally convicted in the case. A total of 19 cases were registered against both individuals in 2007. The CBI submitted closure reports in three cases due to lack of sufficient evidence. Koli was acquitted in three of the 16 remaining cases, and his death sentence in one case was reduced to life imprisonment.

In 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted Koli's death sentence to life imprisonment citing an unreasonable delay in the decision regarding his mercy petition. In 2023, the court acquitted both Koli and co-accused Pandher, indicating that the prosecution had failed to establish their guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" and described the investigation as "botched up."

Subsequently, the CBI and the victims' families contested these acquittals before the Supreme Court, but the apex court dismissed all 14 appeals on July 30 this year.