New Delhi:
The Allahabad High court on Friday acquitted Moninder Singh Pandher, one of the main convicts in a Nithari murder case. However, the court upheld the death sentence of his domestic help Surinder Koli.
Both Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli were given the death sentence for raping and murdering 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar, one of the 18 victims in the Nithari killings.
A CBI court in Ghaziabada convicted Pandher and Koli on February 13 this year. They later filed appeals challenging their conviction and death sentence in the high court.
Rimpa Haldar was murdered on February 8, 2005. The main line of argument of Pandher's lawyers was that he was in Australia when Rimpa was murdered.
There are still 18 other cases pending against them.
Pandher's son Karandeep Singh, who was present in the high court, expressed delight over the acquittal of his father and said he was now looking forward to "justice in the remaining cases related to this matter".
"There is God, and there is justice in the country," Karandeep said.
The high court, he said, had sustained CBI's chargesheet and "we are quite happy about that".
Pandher's lawyer Monisha Bhandari said that she would try for bail for her client in view of the verdict.
Reacting to the verdict, the CBI said that its stand was vindicated since it had never chargesheeted Pandher.
CBI lawyer GS Hajela said he was satisfied with the court's verdict and there was no evidence against Pandher to convict him and sentence him to death.
"We chargesheeted him only for trafficking and bribery and giving gifts to police in the Payal murder case," the CBI said.
"We have documents from FRRO to prove that he was not in India when the murder took place on February 8, 2005. He left India on January 30, 2005, and came back on February 14. There was no evidence against him. Even Surinder Koli gave a statement favouring him," the investigating agency added.
(With PTI inputs)
Both Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli were given the death sentence for raping and murdering 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar, one of the 18 victims in the Nithari killings.
A CBI court in Ghaziabada convicted Pandher and Koli on February 13 this year. They later filed appeals challenging their conviction and death sentence in the high court.
Rimpa Haldar was murdered on February 8, 2005. The main line of argument of Pandher's lawyers was that he was in Australia when Rimpa was murdered.
There are still 18 other cases pending against them.
Pandher's son Karandeep Singh, who was present in the high court, expressed delight over the acquittal of his father and said he was now looking forward to "justice in the remaining cases related to this matter".
"There is God, and there is justice in the country," Karandeep said.
The high court, he said, had sustained CBI's chargesheet and "we are quite happy about that".
Pandher's lawyer Monisha Bhandari said that she would try for bail for her client in view of the verdict.
Reacting to the verdict, the CBI said that its stand was vindicated since it had never chargesheeted Pandher.
CBI lawyer GS Hajela said he was satisfied with the court's verdict and there was no evidence against Pandher to convict him and sentence him to death.
"We chargesheeted him only for trafficking and bribery and giving gifts to police in the Payal murder case," the CBI said.
"We have documents from FRRO to prove that he was not in India when the murder took place on February 8, 2005. He left India on January 30, 2005, and came back on February 14. There was no evidence against him. Even Surinder Koli gave a statement favouring him," the investigating agency added.
(With PTI inputs)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
