Koli gets death sentence in fourth Nithari case

Koli gets death sentence in fourth Nithari case

Holding that death row convict Surinder Koli is a "disgrace to society deserving no sympathy", a special CBI court in Ghaziabad on Wednesday awarded him capital punishment for rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, the fourth Nithari case in which he has been given death penalty.

Special CBI Judge A K Singh held Koli guilty under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and 364 (kidnaping) and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

Pronouncing the sentence against Koli (38), Justice Singh said he is a "disgrace to society and deserves no sympathy".

He further said the crime committed by Koli was "heinous" and a "stigma and threat to humanity".

The victim, Deepali, who had gone missing in June 2006 and whose name was mentioned in the complaint lodged in December that year about missing children in Nithari near Noida, was identified by her mother through her footwear and the DNA test conducted on her skeletal remains recovered from a drain.

Though the court had decided to deliver the quantum of sentence on Thursday it later decide to pronounce it today itself after the prosecution made a request for it.

A total of 19 cases were filed in connection with the rape and murder of children and a young woman whose skeletal remains, clothes and footwear were found in Nithari in 2006 and the CBI had filed chargesheets in 16 cases. Three cases were closed due to lack of evidence.

The rapes and murders in Nithari which came to light in 2006 sent shock waves across the nation.

This is the fourth case in which Koli has been awarded death sentence by the special CBI court here.

Koli was also given capital punishment in February 2009 for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar, in September 2009 for rape and murder of 8-year-old Aarti and in May this year on the same charges in the case relating to teenager Rachna.

While businessman Moninder Singh Pander and his domestic help Koli were both initially held as accused in the Deepali case, the CBI named Koli as the prime accused in the chargesheet, stating there was lack of evidence against Pander.

Koli broke down as the court pronounced its verdict.

The court gave him 30 days for filing an appeal against the order.