The Supreme Court has strongly criticised the police investigation into the 2006 Nithari serial killings, calling it incomplete, inconsistent, and unsupported by proper evidence. The court said that the circumstantial evidence used against accused Surendra Koli lacked forensic backing and that the police failed to explore crucial leads, including those related to possible organ trade. A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath observed several serious lapses in the case and ordered Koli's immediate release after nearly 19 years in jail, according to a report by  India Today.

Court questions reliability of Koli's confession

The Supreme Court found that Koli's alleged confession could not be trusted, as he had been in custody for more than 60 days without access to a lawyer or a medical examination. The trial magistrate who recorded the confession had also noted that Koli might have been 'tutored or tortured' while in custody. The judges said that these conditions violated basic legal protections and made the confession unreliable.“A confession obtained under such circumstances cannot form the basis for conviction,” the bench stated.

Major lapses in investigation 

The court highlighted several flaws in the police and forensic investigation, including:

• Delays in securing the crime scene at House D-5 in Nithari, Noida.
• Contradictory remand and recovery papers submitted by investigators.
• Lack of timely medical examination of the accused.
• Incomplete or missing forensic records.

The bench noted that investigators had failed to question key witnesses from the household and neighbourhood and did not pursue several material leads that could have clarified the case.

No forensic link between Koli and recovered evidence 

The Supreme Court said that knives, axes, and human remains found near the house had no admissible forensic link to Koli. It further observed that forensic analysis did not detect any human bloodstains or remains inside the house that matched the alleged crimes. The judges questioned how“a semi-educated domestic help with no medical training could have carried out precise dismemberment of bodies,” as claimed by the police.

Court orders release after 19 years in jail 

Based on these findings, the bench ordered the immediate release of Surendra Koli, who has been imprisoned since 2006. The court said that without credible forensic proof, reliable confession, or a clear chain of evidence, the conviction could not stand. The judgment adds that investigative gaps and procedural failures led to wrongful conclusions in a case that deeply affected the nation.

Families of Nithari victims heartbroken after SC acquits Koli

The families of children killed in the 2006 Nithari serial murders have expressed deep pain and anger after the Supreme Court acquitted Surendra Koli, one of the main accused in the case, and set aside his conviction. The court's decision has reopened emotional wounds for families who have waited nearly two decades for justice.

The father of one of the victims said he could not believe that the people once accused of such horrific crimes were now being set free. He said that Moninder Singh Pandher, the other main accused, had admitted his guilt before the police.“We were pained when Pandher was acquitted. If Koli is not responsible, if Pandher is not responsible, then who killed our children?” he asked.

#WATCH | Supreme Court acquitted Surendra Koli yesterday; he was convicted in the 2006 Nithari serial killings case, and set aside his conviction. In UP's Noida, father of a deceased says, "We were pained when Pandher (Moninder Singh Pandher) was acquitted...Pandher had... twitter/sp9nEUa0Fd

- ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2025

Another parent from Noida said through tears,“Moninder and Surendra killed so many children. But now the case is going nowhere. Who is guilty now? Was there a ghost in that house that killed all those children?”

The grieving mother alleged that the two men had killed children and sold their organs, saying,“They used to sell kidneys and livers. Now they say they are innocent. The law is blind, it has let them go. God will not.”

#WATCH | Supreme Court acquitted Surendra Koli yesterday; he was convicted in the 2006 Nithari serial killings case, and set aside his conviction. In UP's Noida, mother of a deceased says, "...Moninder (Moninder Singh Pandher) and Surendra (Surendra Koli) killed so many... twitter/4MJHFCgHpq

- ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2025

The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surendra Koli, who had been convicted in the 2006 Nithari serial killings case. A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath set aside his conviction and ordered that he be released immediately if not wanted in any other case.

Justice Vikram Nath, who read out the verdict, said,“The curative petition is allowed. The petitioner is acquitted of the charges. The petitioner shall be released forthwith.”

This ruling sets aside Koli's last remaining conviction related to the Nithari murders. He had already been acquitted in 12 other cases connected to the same incident.

Koli had filed a curative petition against the 2011 Supreme Court judgment that had confirmed his conviction in one of the Nithari murder cases. He argued that the same evidence used to convict him earlier had been found unreliable in 12 other cases where he was later acquitted.

The Supreme Court accepted his curative petition and set aside the conviction, saying the reasoning must remain consistent in all related cases if the evidence was the same.

This was Koli's final conviction. Earlier in July this year, the Supreme Court had dismissed the appeals filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Uttar Pradesh government, and victims' families against the Allahabad High Court's 2023 order acquitting Koli and Pandher.

Previous court decisions

In October 2023, the Allahabad High Court had overturned the trial court's 2010 verdict that sentenced Koli and Pandher to death. The High Court had acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two, saying that the prosecution failed to provide strong and consistent evidence linking them to the crimes.

Earlier, in 2010, a special CBI court had sentenced Koli to death in several cases and Pandher in two, calling the crimes among the most shocking in India's criminal history.

The High Court, however, found flaws in the investigation, saying there were contradictions in witness statements and lack of proper forensic proof. The Supreme Court has now upheld that decision, leaving no remaining convictions against either man.

The background of the Nithari killings

The Nithari case first came to light in December 2006, when human remains were found in a drain near house D-5 in Nithari village, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The house belonged to businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, and Surendra Koli was his domestic servant.

Police investigations at the time revealed skulls, bones, and clothes of missing children, most of them from poor families in the area. The discovery shocked the nation and led to massive protests, with parents demanding justice and accusing police of ignoring earlier complaints of missing children.

Koli and Pandher were both arrested in December 2006. They were accused of luring children, killing them, and later dismembering their bodies. There were also allegations of sexual assault and organ trafficking.

The CBI later filed 16 cases against the two men. Koli was accused in all 16, while Pandher was charged in six. Over the years, various courts convicted them in different cases, but as appeals continued, the convictions were overturned one by one.

The long fight for justice

Families of the victims have been struggling for justice for nearly 19 years. Many say the acquittals have broken their trust in the legal system.“We have gone to every court, every hearing. We sold our land and took loans for legal help. And now they say no one is guilty. What are we supposed to do?” said one of the fathers.

Another parent said the authorities should explain why the men were jailed for so many years if they were not guilty.“If Koli and Pandher did not kill our children, then who did? If they were innocent, why were they punished for all these years? Those who jailed them should also be punished,” he said.

The official investigation

The CBI, which took over the case in 2007, registered 16 separate cases of rape and murder. The agency said that both accused had confessed to their involvement, although the defence later claimed the confessions were forced. Over the years, the CBI's case weakened as different courts found gaps in the evidence, unreliable confessions and lack of independent witnesses. The agency faced criticism for how it handled the case, including the delay in identifying victims and missing forensic records.

After the Supreme Court's decision, Surendra Koli will be released unless he is required in any other pending case. Moninder Singh Pandher, already acquitted in 2023, remains free.

For the families in Nithari, the wounds of 2006 have reopened.“We do not want money or sympathy,” said one mother.“We just wanted the truth and justice for our children. But now, it feels like we have lost both.”

(With ANI inputs)

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