ALMORA: Surinder Koli, accused in the infamous Nithari case, may have got relief from the Allahabad high court on Monday, yet a return to normal life may not be on the cards for him.
His mother has passed away, his wife has abandoned him and shifted base to Gurugram, and his house at Mangrukhal, his native village in Salt block of Almora district, has fallen into disrepair.
The sarpanch of Mangrukhal, Sultan Singh told TOI, “No one including Koli’s brothers are interested in talking about him or the Nithari case as it has indirectly brought a bad name to the village.”
The case had shocked the country in 2006 when skeletons were found in a drain near the house of Moninder Singh Pandher at Nithari in Noida. Koli worked at the house as a domestic help. After investigation by CBI, Koli was accused of raping and killing several girls in the locality, chopping off their bodies and throwing them in the drain outside the house.
After Koli was sentenced, his mother Kanti Devi and wife Shanti Devi went to meet him in jail in Delhi in 2014. "His wife did not return to the village after 2016 and moved to Gurugram along with their two children," Singh said.
According to villagers, Koli's mother continued to harbour a desire to meet her son, but wasn’t able to. She passed away two years back. “Koli's elder brother Chandan and younger brother Mangat Ram live in Delhi, while their youngest brother Anand continues to live in the village, but refuses to speak anything on the matter or about Koli. He is a teacher and lives in a separate house away from Koli's native house,” Singh said.
Dharamveer Singh, another villager, added, “People are reluctant to speak about Koli but I don’t think they will have a problem if he returns to the village.”
However, with an estranged family and an alienated set of villagefolk, Koli's return to his village, if it happens, may not be a smooth affair.
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Nithari serial killings case: Allahabad HC acquits Surendra Koli, Moninder Singh Pandher
The Allahabad High Court has acquitted Surinder Koli, the prime suspect in the Nithari serial murders case, in 12 cases where he had previously been sentenced to death. Another suspect, Moninder Singh Pandher, has also been acquitted in two cases where he had been sentenced to death. The Nithari murders occurred between 2005 and 2006, and came to light when skeletons were found near a house in Noida. The CBI had registered a total of 16 cases in relation to the murders. A detailed judgment is yet to be released.
Nithari killings: Allahabad high court acquits Surinder Koli, Moninder Pandher; says 'botched up probe'
The Allahabad High Court has acquitted Surinder Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher, the prime suspects in the 2006 Nithari case, citing lack of evidence and violations in the investigation. The court expressed disappointment with the botched-up investigation and criticized the prosecution's failure to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The court also noted the violations in collecting evidence and the attempt to implicate a poor servant while ignoring the possibility of organized activity in organ trading. Pandher has been acquitted in all six cases against him, while Koli still has one case pending.
Our suffering cant be undone, says Pandhers son; confessions forced, claims Kolis lawyer
The Allahabad High Court's acquittal of Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli in the 2006 Nithari killings has sparked controversy. While parents of the victims are in disbelief, Pandher's son expressed relief after a lengthy trial that left scars on his family. The cases relied on circumstantial evidence, including skeletons found outside Pandher's house, knives recovered from the house, Koli's confession, and DNA tests confirming the victims' identities. The court order for Pandher's release has not been received yet. Lawyers argued that Koli's confession was forced and the chain of evidence incomplete. The verdict confirms opposition to capital punishment.
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