Supreme Court Acquits Nithari Case Accused Surendra Koli, Moninder Singh Pandher Was Released Earlier

The Supreme Court has acquitted Surendra Koli, one of the main accused in the infamous Nithari case. Koli had been in jail since 2006 and was representing himself in court. Notably, the prime accused in the case, Moninder Singh Pandher, had already been released in 2023. Now, with the Supreme Court’s decision, Surendra Koli has also been acquitted.

This verdict comes as a major setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had declared Koli guilty in its probe. However, the Supreme Court dismissed all of CBI’s arguments that tried to establish Koli’s culpability. With this judgment, it is believed that the Nithari case chapter may now be permanently closed.

Surendra Koli reportedly questioned the CBI’s investigation while representing himself in court. The Supreme Court then asked the CBI to respond to the points raised by Koli. According to sources, the CBI failed to provide satisfactory answers to the court, which eventually led to Koli’s acquittal on Wednesday.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, and Justice Vinod Chandran heard the matter. During Wednesday’s hearing, the bench dismissed the CBI’s appeals and upheld the Allahabad High Court’s decision to acquit Surendra Koli.