Nithari case: Supreme court stays death sentence of Surinder Koli

The Supreme Court today stayed the death sentence of Surinder Koli, prime accused in the Nithari serial killings case and domestic help of businessmen Moninder Singh Pandher whose house in Noida was the scene of horrific rape and killings of several young girls and women nearly three years ago.

A Bench of chief justice KG Balakrishnan and justice BS Chauhan while staying the death sentence, sought response from the CBI and the Uttar Pradesh government on Koli's petition challenging his conviction.

Koli was convicted and sentenced to death by a special CBI court on February 13, 2009 for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar, one of the several alleged victims of the alleged grisly killings in Nithari in 2007.

Along with Koli, the sessions court also sentenced to death his employer Pandher. The Allahabad High Court, however, while acquitting Pandher of the charges, confirmed the death sentence of Koli on September 11, 2009.

Aggrieved by the high court's judgement, Koli chose to file the appeal against the death sentence.