The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a petition challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which acquitted Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli in connection with the gruesome murder of several girls that took place at Nithari in Noida between 2005-06.
The order was passed by the Bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sandeep Mehta on Friday on an appeal filed by Pappu Lal, father of one of the victim girls.
The top court of the country further issued notice to the two accused, who were awarded death sentence in cases related to the Nithari killings.
In October, 2023, the High Court overturned the death penalty awarded to Pandher and his domestic help Surendra Koli by the trial court, and also acquitted them in some of the cases.
Koli was acquitted in 12 cases, while Pandher was acquitted in two cases. They were earlier held guilty of murder and awarded the death penalty by the trial court in these cases.
The accused then moved the Apex Court.
The petitioners contended that the wrongly discarded medical evidence as well as the judicial confession of the accused was recorded by a Magistrate.
The prosecution case, though based on circumstantial evidence, had proved the guilt of those now acquitted, beyond reasonable doubt, added the plea.
Senior Advocate Geeta Luthra, along with Advocates Rakesh Kumar Shivani Luthra Lohiya, Asmita Narula and Apoorva Maheshwari, appeared for the father of one of the deceased girls.