New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has stayed the death sentence for Surinder Koli, the man who is accused of murdering close to 20 children in Nithari, near Noida, a Delhi suburb.
In 2006, the skeletons of several children were found in a drain behind the house of Monider Singh Pandher, a wealthy businessman.
At that time, Pandher and Koli led the police to a bathroom where they allegedly showed off a saw they used to kill their victims. Pandher later denied that he had admitted to the Nithari murders.
Rimpa Haldar was one of the children who went missing in Nithari and was later found dead. In her case, Koli and Pandher were both given the death sentence in February 2009 by a Ghaizabad court. Koli admitted to killing the 14-year-old. However, the CBI, which is investigating the case, said it had no evidence against Pandher. The judge over-ruled the CBI and said there was incriminating evidence to prove Pandher was guilty.
The Allahabad High Court then acquitted Pandher but agreed that Koli deserved the death sentence.
Koli appealed to the Supreme Court, which has now stayed his sentence, and issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government.