New Delhi, Nov 11 (IANS) Surendra Koli, a man who was given the sobriquet “Butcher of Nithari”, was on Tuesday set free by the Supreme Court, which allowed his curative petition, giving a formal closure to a saga of botched-up probe and media trial built on theories of cannibalism. A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath set free the suspect, who lived in Nithari village in Noida. With this, Koli has emerged clean despite facing 19 criminal cases, along with his now-acquitted employer, Mohinder Singh Pandher. Reading out the bench’s verdict, Justice Vikram Nath said, "The curative petition is allowed.”

Koli, 53, will now walk out of jail as he has already been acquitted in all other cases. The 2006 Nithari killings captured public attention after the disappearance of minors from the village was linked to the discovery of human remains in a drain outside Pandher’s home in Noida Sector-31, which became infamous as “House of Horrors”. The investigation into the case that involved allegations of abduction of children and young women, and horrifying claims of rape, cannibalism, and organ theft, had culminated in 19 cases, some of which even resulted in Koli’s conviction and sentencing to death.

Koli, a domestic worker, and his employer, Mohinder Singh Pandher, were initially convicted in the case. A total of 19 cases were lodged against the two in 2007. The CBI filed closure reports in three cases because of insufficient evidence. Koli was found not guilty in three of the 16 remaining cases, and his death sentence in one case was changed to life imprisonment.

In 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment due to an inordinate delay in the decision on his mercy petition. In 2023, the court acquitted Koli and co-accused Pandher, stating that the prosecution had not proven their guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" and described the investigation as "botched up". On Tuesday, the Supreme Court gave Koli a new life, free from any criminal taint, and suspended all other punishments handed down to him in other cases. The case was initially probed by the Noida police but was later handed over to the CBI, which had registered a total of 19 FIRs related to the alleged serial killing.