Neutral Citation No. - 2023:AHC:199091-DB

Reserved

Index

In

Nithari Judgement

CAPITAL CASE No. - 196 of 2018

With

CAPITAL REFERENCE No. 1 of 2018

Surendra Koli ……..Appellant

Versus

State through Central Bureau of Investigation …….Respondent

AND

CAPITAL CASE No. - 197 of 2018

With

CAPITAL REFERENCE No. 1 of 2018

Moninder Singh Pandher ....Appellant

Versus

Central Bureau of Investigation and another …….Respondent

Sl. No.

Particulars

Page No.

1.

The Nithari incident (Para 4-13)

6-12

2.

Disappearance of victim ‘C’ (Para 16-22)

13-15

3.

Documentary evidence of prosecution (Para-23)

15-22

4.

4a.

Oral evidence of prosecution (Para 24)

Statement of accused u/s 313 Cr.P.C. (Para 25-26)

22-24

24-25

5.

Defence Evidence (Para 27)

26

6.

Chronology of events (Para 28)

26-37

7.

Issues framed during trial u/s 354(1)(b) Cr.P.C.

(Para 29-30)

37-38

8.

Circumstances relied upon by the court of

Sessions to hold the accused guilty (Para 31)

38

9.

10.

Arguments in support of appeal (Para 32-69)

Arguments on behalf of the prosecution (CBI)

(Para 70-75)

39-54

54-56

2

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

Issues arising in the appeal (Para 76-78)

Law on recovery u/s 27 of the Indian Evidence

Act, 1872. (Para 79-87)

Analysis of evidence on the aspect of arrest of

accused, disclosure by him and the recovery

(Para 88-125)

Evidence of previous recovery of biological

material from the same spot (Para 126-127)

Circumstance of accused SK luring girls and

cutting body parts before experts at AIIMS (para

128-136)

Circumstances leading to confession of accused

(Para 137-156)

Contents of transcription of recorded confession

(Para 157)

Retraction of confession by the accused (Para

158-161)

Law on confession:-

(i) Confession is viewed with circumspection

(Para 162-173);

(ii) Confession has to be read as a whole (Para

174-175);

(iii) If tainted in part, the taint attaches to each

part of the confession (Para 176-177)

(iv) Confession must be voluntary and true (Para

178-179);

(v) Burden to prove that confession is voluntary

is on the prosecution (Para 180);

(vi) Role/duty of court in recording confession

(Para 181-183)

Analysis of evidence on the aspect of confession

to ascertain Voluntariness and truthfulness:-

•

Prolonged police custody (Para 185-195);

•

Delayed confession to facilitate tutoring?

(Para 196-198);

•

Torture to accused (Para -199-208);

•

Confession letter to ACMM New Delhi (Para

209-211);

•

No proper medical examination of accused

SK (Para 212-215);

•

Prosecution stand on torture (Para 216);

•

Evidence on torture (Para 217-222);

•

Confession in view of Section 28 of the

Evidence Act (Para 223-224);

•

Facets of confession in this case (Para 225-

56-57

57-68

68-82

82-83

83-86

87-99

99-125

125-130

130-140

140-143

143-144

144-146

146-148

148-149

149-158

158-159

159-163

164-165

165-166

166

166-167

168

168-175

3

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

241);

•

Safeguards under Section 164 Cr.P.C. (Para

242-248);

•

No effective legal aid (Para 249-254);

•

Non compliance of procedural safeguards

under Section 164 Cr.P.C. (Para 255-261);

•

No conclusive finding of voluntariness prior

to recording of confession (Para 262-263);

•

Confession not properly proved (Para 264-

270);

•

Confession not shown to be true, rather,

contradicted by other evidence? (Para

271);

•

No independent corroboration of murder,

rape or cannibalism (Para 272-281);

•

Events mentioned in confession improbable

(Para 282-290);

Impact of previous judgment in the case of

'XYZ' :- (Para 291-310)

(i) Supreme Court in 'XYZ' only affirmed the

findings, conclusion and sentence of the High

Court in respect of accused SK;

(ii) High Court restricted its findings only to the

case of 'XYZ' and were not to apply in other

cases of Nithari killings, including this case;

(iii) Evidence in the case of 'XYZ' di