Nithari killings case: Fourth death sentence for Koli

The sentencing would have meant little to Surinder Koli whose fate, one would have to say, has already been sealed with capital punishment awarded to him in three other Nithari cases

The sentencing would have meant little to Surinder Koli whose fate, one would have to say, has already been sealed with capital punishment awarded to him in three other Nithari cases.

File photo of Moninder Singh Pandher (second from left) and Surender
Koli (fourth from left) at the CBI court. Pic/Mid Day

Nevertheless, holding that Koli is a "disgrace to society deserving no sympathy", a special CBI court on Wednesday (December 22) awarded him death penalty for rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl.

Special CBI Judge AK Singh held Koli guilty under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and 364 (kidnapping) and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

Pronouncing the sentence against Koli (38), Justice Singh said he is a "disgrace to society and deserves no sympathy".

Special CBI Judge A K Singh pronounced the verdict against 38-year-old Koli, the domestic help of Moninder Singh Pandher, who was the prime accused in the case, as reportedly Deepali's body parts were found in a drain in Nithari in 2006.

This is the fourth out of a total of 16 cases filed by the investigating agency in connection with the killing and disposing off the bodies of 19 children and a young woman between 2005 and 2006.

The victim, Deepali, who had gone missing in June 2006 and whose name was mentioned in the complaint lodged in December that year about missing children in Nithari near Noida, was identified by her mother through her footwear and the DNA test conducted on her skeletal remains recovered from a drain.

Every step of the way

MiD DAY had on March 4, 2008 and January 21, 2009 pointed to the CBI's role in shielding Moninder Singh Pandher and the investigating agency's alleged hand in Jatin Sarkar's murder.
On 21st January, 2009, MiD Day had reported that Nithari witness autopsy pointed to murder, even as CBI claimed the fisherman drowned in knee-deep water. Sarkar had alleged that Pandher killed his daughter, and then CBI chief Vijay Shanker asked him to shut up about Pandher. Jatin's post-mortem report, exclusively available to MiD DAY, indicates he was murdered.

Timeline

Dec 29, 2006: Fifteen human skulls, skeletal remains found in a drain behind bungalow number D-5 in Noida's Sector 31, adjacent to Nithari village. Noida police arrest bungalor owner Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surender Koli.
December 30: More skeletons found. Five policemen suspended for mishandling the investigation Jan 10, 2007: CBI takes over probe and custody of documents.
March 1: Koli records his confessional statement in a Delhi court.
March 22: The CBI gives clean chit to Pandher but indicts Koli.
Feb 12/13, 2009: Pandher and Koli convicted and sentenced to death for raping and killing 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar.
May 4: Koli found guilty of murder of Arti Prasad, 7, handed second death sentence on May 12.
Sept 28, 2010: Koli handed a third death penalty, this time for murdering Rachna Lal, 8, daughter of labourer Pappu Lal.
December 22: Koli handed a fourth death sentence.