In a significant setback for the CBI, Uttar Pradesh government, and the victims’ families, the Supreme Court has dismissed all 14 appeals filed against the acquittal of Surendra Koli in the infamous 2006 Nithari serial killings case. The apex court ruled that the Allahabad High Court’s decision to acquit Koli had no legal error.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court observed that the skeletal remains of children and body parts found near a drain were not recovered based on any admissible confession from Koli. The bench clarified that unless a police confession leads directly to the recovery of evidence, such recoveries cannot be considered legally valid proof in court.
The Allahabad High Court had earlier acquitted Surendra Koli on similar grounds, stating that the case lacked sufficient and legally admissible evidence. The Supreme Court has now upheld that verdict.
The Nithari case came to light in 2006 after multiple children and women went missing in Noida’s Nithari village. Later, human remains were discovered near a house, leading to the arrest of Surendra Koli and his employer, Moninder Singh Pandher.
