The Allahabad High Court on Monday acquitted prime suspect Surinder Koli in 12 cases related to the infamous Nithari massacre of 2006, while acquitting co-accused Moninder Singh Pandher in two cases related to the incident.
The Bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi allowed the appeals filed by Pandher and Koli after reserving the verdict last month.
With this, the death sentence awarded to Koli and Pandher stands cancelled.
Koli was awarded the death penalty in all 12 cases by the trial court, while Pandher was awarded death by the trial court.
The infamous Nithari murders were reportedly committed between 2005 and 2006. The matter came to light in December 2006, after skeletons were found in a drain near a house in Nithari area of Noida (Uttar Pradesh).
Investigation revealed that the house belonged to Moninder Pander, while Koli was working in his house as domestic help. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a total of 16 cases against the two.
CBI chargesheeted Koli in all 16 cases for murder, abduction and rape besides destruction of evidence, and Pandher in one for immoral trafficking.
However, the Ghaziabad court summoned Pandher in five other cases after several victims’ families approached it.
The CBI charge sheet said that Koli had killed several girls by chopping off their bodies to pieces before throwing them in the backyard outside their house. Pander was represented by Advocate Manisha Bhandari, while Advocate Payoshi Roy appeared for Koli.