Supreme Court Acquits Surinder Koli in Last Nithari Case, Orders Immediate Release
After being acquitted in 12 earlier cases, Surinder Koli finally set free as apex court allows curative petition
New Delhi, Nov 11 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surinder Koli, overturning his conviction in the last pending case of the infamous 2006 Nithari serial killings. The top court ordered his immediate release, provided he is not wanted in any other matter.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath allowed Koli’s curative petition challenging the 2011 Supreme Court verdict that had upheld his conviction in one case. Justice Vikram Nath pronounced the order, stating, “The curative petition is allowed. The petitioner is acquitted of the charges. The petitioner shall be released forthwith.”
This marks the closure of Koli’s legal battle in the Nithari killings, after he had already been acquitted in 12 other cases. Koli’s petition argued that the evidence used to convict him in the remaining case had been found unreliable in cases where he was subsequently acquitted.
The Nithari case, which shocked the nation in 2006, involved multiple rapes and murders, primarily of children in Noida’s Nithari village. Surinder Koli, a domestic worker, and his employer, Moninder Singh Pandher, faced 16 cases registered by the CBI over the crimes. Koli was previously sentenced to death in over 10 cases, while Pandher faced convictions in six.
In October 2023, the Allahabad High Court had acquitted both Koli and Pandher in several cases and overturned the death penalty imposed by the trial court. The Supreme Court had dismissed appeals against Pandher and Koli’s acquittal in July 2025, paving the way for Koli’s final release.
The Nithari killings came to light when skeletal remains were discovered near Pandher’s house in December 2006. The gruesome case had gripped the nation, highlighting severe lapses in local policing and prompting nationwide outrage.
Surinder Koli’s acquittal in the last pending case now concludes one of India’s most high-profile criminal cases in recent history, ending a long legal saga spanning nearly two decades.
