No headway in Pandher, Koli assault in court case

A little over 30 months after the two Nithari killings accused Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli were assaulted at a Ghaziabad court complex on January 25, 2007, police have made little headway into the investigations.

A little over 30 months after the two Nithari killings accused Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli were assaulted at a Ghaziabad court complex on January 25, 2007, police have made little headway into the investigations.

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This despite the fact that 10 policemen, including two circle officers (COs), station officers, sub-inspectors and constables, were also injured while protecting the duo from mob fury.

The Allahabad high court on Friday acquitted businessman Pandher of charges of involvement in the rape and murder of a domestic help, whose death and that of 18 others are together called the Nithari killings. But the court upheld the conviction of co-accused Surender Koli, who was Pandher's domestic help, in the same case. And confirmed the death sentence given to him by a trial court in February 2009. Pandher now faces charges in five more cases.

Police said that investigations in the assault case were on. "We will expedite the matter within coming days," SSP Akhil Kumar told HT.

While the officials did not comment on the reasons for delay, a senior police official said: "As the matter involved lawyers, the investigations have been delayed."

After the Allahabad HC’s judgement on Friday, Pandher's son Karandeep Pandher sees a glimmer of hope into the assault case too.

"That was not an emotional outburst against the two. It was hooliganism as a handful of lawyers had put the noble profession to disrepute by taking law into their own hands,” Karandeep Pandher told HT from Chandigarh.

Then Circle Officer (II) Ram Mohan Singh, who suffered injuries during the incident, had filed complaint into the matter at Kavinagar police station. A case was registered against six persons and 250-300 others under relevant sections of the IPC.