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In a verdict that left the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) red-faced, Special Judge Rama Jain on Thursday convicted businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surinder Koli for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar — the first among the 19 cases registered in the Nithari serial killings.
The CBI had earlier given a clean chit to Pandher in all its chargesheets.
In a packed courtroom on Thursday, Justice Jain pronounced the verdict in hardly two minutes after taking her seat, bringing hope to Haldar’s parents. Both convicts were then whisked away to a high-security cell.
The court is scheduled to pronounce the quantum of sentence on Friday.
Koli was found guilty of kidnapping, rape and murder and other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) punishable with life imprisonment or death. Pandher was convicted of the same offences together with criminal conspiracy (Section 120B) and destruction of evidence, under the IPC, Senior Public Prosecutor J P Sharma confirmed.
The day began in the court at 10.30 am with a pointed query from the judge to Pandher as to whether he had any knowledge of a confessional statement made by Koli — also present at the time — before a metropolitan magistrate. “Pandher said he knew nothing about the statement,” said Anil Behl, a counsel on the CBI panel. The second question she asked was about Pandher’s relationship with Payal, one of the victims. “Pandher had said he knew Payal,” said Behl.
The verdict has now put a huge question mark on the CBI’s early efforts to shift the entire blame to Koli for the crime committed on February 8, 2005. The investigating agency had maintained that Pandher was in Australia when Haldar went missing. Devraj Singh, one of Pandher’s lawyers, said he will appeal against the judgment in High Court.
“Any criminal charges accompanied with a conspiracy clause could invite the same punishment as the charge itself. It could mean a lifer for Pandher for being a conspirator,” said Sharma.
Haldar had left for Pandher’s Sector 31 residence in Noida on February 8, 2005 in place of her mother, a domestic help in the house, who had taken ill. She never returned home.
Pandher not accused in CBI chargesheet in Rimpa case
According to senior public prosecutor, J P Sharma, Pandher was not an accused in the chargesheet filed by the CBI in the Rimpa Haldar case.
“The court took suo motu cognizance of the statements given to court by the parents of the victim. On the basis of the accusations made by the parents, the court might have found Pandher guilty of conspiring against the victim,” said the CBI counsel.
According to the CBI counsel, Anil Haldar had told the court that the day Pandher and Koli were arrested, he went to D-5 where Pandher had told the Noida Police that he had asked Koli to bring children as he could not sleep well at night,” said Sharma.
Sharma also told Newsline that till now the court has made Pandher an accused in six cases regarding the Nithari Killings. He also said that till now, the CBI has examined 386 witnesses in the 13 cases related to the Nithari killings. — ENS
Forgotten promises
Renuka Chowdhury on January 2008:
“We’ll create a database of missing children based on the records that we get from the states. We’ve asked the state governments to send us data on missing children and also find out why the laws in this regard are not being implemented. For example in Nithari, the first of the missing persons cases, was not registered,” said Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury.
No comments
As on February 2009, the proposed database is still in the pipeline and the Chowdhury has refused to talk about it.
CBI’s hi-tech DNA profiling plan
Soon after news of the Nithari surfaced, the CBI had said it would seek private investment to fund a hi-tech facility to identify bodies through DNA profiling. The proposal, conceived by CBI DIG Shatrujit Kapur, envisioned a national database of missing persons. — Vidya Krishnan
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Letters C/o Editor 13th Feb. 2009Sir, Sub: Nithari kilings Punjab based businessmen Mohinder Singh Pantdher and his servant Surendra Koli were found guilty by a Ghaziabad court for the monstrous rape and murder out of 19 cases registered against them in thenihari killings in 2006. Both deserve capital punishment mercilessly even if their counsel tries to prove innocence. If they are protected or even if long term jail verdict is delivered it amonus to punishing innocent people only. B S Ganesh, ganshar@dataone.in 70/9 Basappa Layout, Hanumanthnagar, BANGALORE 560 019
Government should collapse CBI agency. It 's good for nothing except to save thick skinned criminals and politicians. Save Money!!! It's recession.
I n a so called civilized country like India men are beating ladies if theygo to bar same timemen can rape kill and and they can do what ever they want what a justice? There are dedicated officers in CBI. but they are controlled by criminal politicians,if only these criminal elements are brought to justice there will be no justice.
I know the family Pandher since the last 30 years or so. Moninder alias Goldy and his father Sardar Sampuran Singh were just great Sardars good hearted and great shikaris. We knew them through a common friend Chowdhary Shezor Singh of village Kolar near Dhaula Khauan in Dist Sirmaour HP. His elder brother Sardar Iqbal also an ex student of Bishop Cotton Simla were just thoruogh gentlemen. What we now hear through the media is just disheartning. It is a fact that India is very corrupt in all branches saying the Police, Babus, Banks, Patwaris, Teachers bus conducters etc etc, there is corruptions in every Indian blood. So it seems this gentleman Pandher has very few chances to get through
A psycho never shows he's a psycho,a filthy mind will be filthy no matter what gene pool you inherit or good school you got to.he's party to killing innocent children along with his servant whose again employed by him. A psycho will employ a psycho and filthy guy to cover up. I would suggest that you don't mention to people that you know Pandher because it will put you and your family in bad light. he's a scoundrel and a flithy animal.You would know that if you have a daughter who is 14 year old.This capital punishment is JUSTICE.
The question here is : What happens to the CBI officer(s) who clearly took money from Pandher to call him innocent ? These CBI officers are worse than Pandher.
Justice has at long last been done in one of the 16 cases registered against the Nithari killers, Mohinder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Koli , who most brutally did to death innocent children. They deserve the stringent possible punishment provided under the law. We have to wait for the court's observations on the CBI with regard to the quality of investigation and not run it down merely on the basis of what appeared in the press at that time.
cbi what does it mean very interesting. criminal bureau of india which always plays in the hands of those who have power and money.if india has to establish rule of law and justice then it will have to abolish this institution because in the history of investigation it has been entrusted,never comes out with the intention of prosecuting those who are found guilty instead they comes out with the result to save the real culprit as we have seen in the nander blast ,rizwanur case in calcutta and now the nithari case they have given pandher a clean chit these are some example of misuse of investigation. we are not going to the bottom of any mysterious crime until and unless we put counter investigation on its officials and tried in the court of justice and punished equally along with the perpetrator of crime.
Good job done, CBI.But can you believe that the ghastly tragedy would have been discovered much earlier and the lives of many victims would have been saved if only the local Municipal body would have regularly cleaned the gutters and drains for which taxes are paid.
These both are merciless killers and a shame ofn the name of humanity.Yes they must be punished severely according to the Law of the Land.Apart from this now is the time to scrutinize the whole case and find out why CBI had given clean chit to Pandher.Those corrupt offcials who conducted enquiries in this atrocious crime and gave clean chit to this brutal killer.Right from the begining of this case it was clear that without Pandher's interests,help and participation in rapes this couldn't happen.He had enoughmoney to bribe and was let free.The court and law must ask for explanations.
what ever has to be done, should be done in a fast way or else we may see him in our deadly political system . I don't want one more like this fellow in our parliament
These persons should be praded on donkeys. these rascals murdered so many people like butchers.
death will be the easiest punishment for both. They deserve greater punishment and should be such starving that both should pray for death. Cut their man hood, fingers, ear, one eye and nose (make them eat it !). Leave them in society. Punishment should be such that others should think 100 times even before thinking of repeating such crime.
Listen, Common Man, have you never heard words like decency even in death sentence, Rule of Law, civilsed legal behaviour,basic rights of accused, etc.? No? Remember that without these, our police can frame charges even against an innocent person,fabricate evidence, get him convicted, and then do all the horrible things on him which you want to be done to the Nithari convicts.
I AM 100% WITH Mr.ABHINAV KUMAR - DEATH MAY FINISH OR CLOSE THE STORY. IF THESE CULPRITS LIVE WITH THE CONDITIONS SUGGESTED BY Mr. ABHINAV KUMAR IT WILL BE LESSON FOR OTHERS. YES THESE SHATAANS NEED TO BEG FOR DEATH BUT DEATH SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN TILL IT COME ON ITS OWN - BUT THE GREAT QUESTION IS THAT CAN OUR INDIAN LAWS ( NEED TO BE REVISED ) AND OUR BELOVED POITIICIANS CAN SUPPORT THESE TYPES OF PUNISHMENT.
BOTH CULPRITS BOTH HANDS AND LEGS MUST BE CUT DOWN AS WELL AS THEIR EYES MUST TAKEN OT AND FINALLY THEY MUST BE LEFT ALIVE TO CHASE FOR DEATH.I THINK THAT THIS PUNISHMENT IS NOT SUFFICIENT.IF ANY OF MY FRIENDS MAY BE ABLE TO SAY SOME MORE STRONG PUNISHMENT THEN PL POST THE MAIL
Both Surendra Kohli and Moninder Singh Pander should be given the toughest punishment - as it is a rarest of the rare case, even though the CBI may not have made the case water tight, specially for Moninder Singh Pander. But, still the curcumtances gives enough evidence of him being co-partner in the crime, if not more than atleast an equal partner.please follow this case like media did it for Jessica, Bharti, etc. specailly as the sufferes are weak and poor, and may not be able to afford to take the fight to it's logical truthfull conclusion.