‘Justice Denied to the Poor’: Nithari Families Devastated After Supreme Court Acquits Surinder Koli

The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surinder Koli in the final pending Nithari serial murder case, ordering his immediate release from custody and intensifying the profound despair among residents of Noida’s Nithari village. The gruesome 2006 killings came to light after skeletal remains were discovered near businessman Moninder Singh Pandher’s D-5 bungalow in Sector-31, exposing a series of abductions, sexual assaults, murders, and mutilations targeting children and young women from impoverished families. Initially arrested amid national outrage, Pandher and his domestic help Koli faced death sentences from trial courts, but the Allahabad High Court overturned these convictions in 2023, citing critical investigative failures and a complete lack of substantive evidence.

Lakshmi, whose eight-year-old daughter disappeared without a trace in 2006, continues to live near the site of the former Pandher residence, her life suspended in perpetual mourning. Speaking to reporters outside the infamous house, she questioned the innocence of her child and condemned the police for their indifference, alleging that evidence was mishandled, crime scenes improperly secured, and critical leads ignored. As children vanished one after another, the village was gripped by fear and rumors of organ trafficking, yet authorities responded with delay and incompetence. “We placed our faith in the system, but justice has been denied to the poor,” she stated, her words reflecting years of shattered trust.

Jhabu and Sunita, parents of ten-year-old Jyoti, who went missing after visiting Pandher’s home to have a dupatta stitched, remain haunted by the discovery of their daughter’s clothes and slippers on the property. The couple, who once earned a living ironing clothes for the Pandher household, now grieve the family milestones they will never share. “If she were alive today, we would have grandchildren,” Sunita said quietly. Expressing deep alarm, they warned that the released accused could pose a continuing threat to society, underscoring the failure of the justice system to deliver accountability.

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Women who resided in Nithari during the period of the killings continue to live in fear, insisting that both Pandher and Koli should have faced capital punishment. Despite extensive media coverage and public outcry at the time, critical forensic evidence—including DNA samples and biological material—was either lost or never properly analyzed, while witness testimonies crumbled under scrutiny. The villagers, now resigned to silence, believe further discussion is pointless, convinced that the case will soon be forgotten by the nation.

Calls are mounting for the Uttar Pradesh government to reinvestigate the matter, but for the bereaved families of Nithari, the acquittals represent an irreversible betrayal. With no convictions and no closure, the village remains trapped in a cycle of grief, distrust, and unanswered questions about one of India’s most horrific criminal chapters.

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