E-Paper
Six years on, eleven Nithari cases still on trial
19 cases re-registered by CBI, Koli chargesheeted in 16 cases, Peeyush Khandelwal reports.
Six years after the sensational Nithari killings, 11 cases related to the ghastly murders are still under trial at the special CBI court in Ghaziabad.
Two of such cases have reached their final argument stage while six others are under the advance stage of prosecution evidence. CBI sources said three other cases are also under evidence where eight to nine more witnesses are still to be examined.
A total of 19 Nithari cases were re-registered by the CBI when they took over the investigations in January 2007 and later filed chargesheets in 16 cases. Surinder Koli was charge-sheeted in all the 16 cases for rape and murder of minor children and women. Five of the cases, including the one decided on Monday, have reached its conclusion at the Ghaziabad trial court where Koli was awarded death penalty in each of them.
Earlier, Koli’s businessman employer Moninder Singh Pandher was chargesheeted by the CBI in one case under the sections of Immoral Trafficking Act. He was, however, summoned by the CBI court (under section 319 of CrPC) in six cases where one of them was decided at Ghaziabad in February 2009. In the case, Pandher was awarded death penalty but was acquitted of all charges by the Allahabad High Court. Koli’s conviction was upheld by the High Court.
A majority of these chargesheets were filed during 2007 and 2008 by the CBI.
Koli also underwent a confessional statement before a metropolitan magistrate at Delhi in March 2007 and confessed of having killed the victims.
The victims’ family members have welcomed the death sentence to Surinder Koli but demand harsh punishment for Pandher who is a co-accused in six cases.
