Supreme Court Upholds Acquittal Of Surendra Koli In Nithari Case, Dismisses CBI Plea

After two decades, a final legal ruling has concluded one of India's most notorious criminal cases. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea challenging the Allahabad High Court's 2023 acquittal of Surendra Koli, the prime accused in the gruesome 2006 Nithari serial killings, finding no perversity in the High Court's rulings. 

The CBI filed the plea for the Uttar Pradesh government and a victim's family, seeking to overturn the High Court's 2023 ruling that acquitted Koli because of insufficient evidence.

The Court emphasized that only recoveries from places exclusively accessible to the accused can be admitted as evidence. It noted that the recovery of victims' skulls and belongings from an open drain was not based on Koli's statement, and recoveries made without recording the accused's statement are inadmissible under evidence law.

The Nithari killings emerged in 2006 when human remains were found in a drain outside a Noida home. These murders shocked India due to their brutality. The case involved the killings of several children and young women and included horrifying claims of rape, cannibalism, and neglect, capturing public attention. Surendra Koli, a domestic worker, and his employer, Moninder Singh Pandher, were initially convicted. However, the Allahabad High Court acquitted them in 2023, stating that the prosecution had not proven their guilt "beyond reasonable doubt" and described the investigation as "botched up."

The emotional impact on the victims' families is unfathomable. For the defence, the ruling represents a triumph of due process. Manisha Bhandari, the lawyer representing Pandher, who was also acquitted, expressed relief at the verdict. Bhandari told NDTV, "We started in 2009. In 2025, it's finally over. They filed appeals, but they've all been dismissed. I'm still processing it."

The Nithari killings sparked widespread outrage and raised serious questions about investigative lapses. 

In its 2023 ruling, the Allahabad High Court, while overturning the death sentences given to Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two cases, called the probe "nothing short of a betrayal of public trust by responsible agencies."

A total of 19 cases were lodged against the duo in 2007. The CBI filed closure reports in three cases because of insufficient evidence. Koli was found not guilty in three of the 16 remaining cases, and his death sentence in one case was changed to life imprisonment. 

Advocate Pramod Kumar remarked, "The suffering of the victims is undeniable and represents a significant loss to the nation. Accountability must be fixed. The investigation was not conducted properly, resulting in a lack of evidence. The courts have delivered concurrent judgments. The case has reached finality due to lapses by the prosecution and investigative agencies, which failed to meet judicial scrutiny."