Noida, India – The Supreme Court of India's decision to overturn the last remaining conviction in the Nithari serial killings case has triggered a wave of grief and outrage among the victims' families, reopening deep wounds and leaving many to question if justice will ever be served.
The case, which came to light in December 2006, involved the discovery of human remains of children and young women near a house in Nithari, a suburb of Delhi. The residence belonged to businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, where Surendra Koli worked as a domestic helper. Subsequent investigations revealed 19 skeletons and other remains, sparking nationwide horror and condemnation.
Surendra Koli was the main suspect in the gruesome murders that took place in the "house of horrors". The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that Koli lured children and young women from poor neighborhoods, sexually assaulted, murdered, and, in some instances, engaged in cannibalism. Pandher was accused of complicity in some of the crimes and of trafficking offenses.
Between 2007 and 2009, trial courts convicted Koli in 13 cases, sentencing him to death. Pandher was convicted in two cases. However, in October 2023, the Allahabad High Court overturned all convictions, citing unreliable witness statements, procedural lapses, and questionable recoveries. The CBI and victims' families appealed to the Supreme Court, but in July 2024, the top court dismissed all 14 appeals, upholding the High Court's findings that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Despite being cleared in 12 related cases, Koli remained imprisoned due to one conviction for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. Although the Supreme Court had upheld the trial court's verdict in 2011, it was later commuted to life imprisonment by the High Court in 2015 because of delays regarding his mercy petition. In October, while hearing his curative plea, the Supreme Court noted that the conviction in the last case rested only on a confession and the recovery of a kitchen knife – the same evidence already dismissed in other cases.
On November 11, 2025, a bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath allowed Koli's curative petition, a rare legal remedy invoked only when the court's earlier judgment is alleged to have caused grave injustice. The court stated that maintaining his conviction in a single case would be anomalous and unjust, considering he had already been cleared in 12 other related cases arising from the same evidence.
The acquittal has been met with disbelief and despair by the families of the victims. "Who killed our children?" asked one parent, who wished to remain anonymous, "The courts have failed us, and now these monsters will walk free." Another parent expressed feeling lost and without closure, stating that the acquittal has compounded their grief.
Critics are pointing to the "botched up" police investigation, citing "serious lapses" and reliance on "inferences of many kinds". The judges heavily criticized the Nithari police investigation, asserting that basic norms of collecting evidence had been brazenly violated. The case has once again highlighted prevalent issues in India, including social inequality, police shortcomings, and the plight of children, especially those from impoverished backgrounds.
As Surendra Koli prepares to walk free, the families of the victims are left with unanswered questions, seeking closure and struggling to come to terms with the reality that those responsible for the heinous crimes may never be held accountable. The legal proceedings have ended, but the quest for justice continues in the hearts of those who lost their loved ones in the Nithari "house of horrors."
