Nithari murder case Moninder Singh Pandher pronounced guilty, who’s next?

Despite CBI absolving him, court holds Moninder Singh Pandher guilty of rape, killing of children. Facing justice next will be ex-CBI chief, accused in murder of Jatin Sarkar, witness and father of a victim. MiD DAY speaks to Sarkar's wife Bandana

Nithari murder case Moninder Singh Pandher pronounced guilty, who's next?

As a Ghaziabad sessions court on Thursday pronounced

and his servant

guilty of murdering 14-year-old Rimpa Halder at Moninder Singh Pandher's Nithari bungalow, a relief swept over Bandana Sarkar.

Bandana, the mother of another Nithari victim, Pinki, finally dared to dream that one day even her wait for justice will be over. Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli allegedly killed 20-year-old Pinki in the same fashion as Rimpa.
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However, for Bandana, the grief was doubled as her husband and a key witness in the Nithari murders, Jatin Sarkar, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Bengal's Murshidabad district in 2007. The FIR report filed by the Bengal police named former CBI director Vijay Shanker as one of the prime accused and Bandana registered a case in the Supreme Court charging the investigating agency with killing her husband to save Moninder Singh Pandher.

The MiD DAY had on March 4, 2008 and January 21, 2009 pointed to the CBI's role in shielding Moninder Singh Pandher and the investigating agency's alleged hand in Jatin Sarkar's murder.

"I can't express my relief after today's judgement that pronounced both Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli guilty. I lost both my daughter and husband over the past two years and my struggle for justice had been made harder by the CBI's inefficiency. Now I am looking forward to justice," said Bandana, while talking to MiD DAY.

Her 22-year-old-son Sonu, who makes a living as a rickshaw-puller, was equally hopeful. "Life became hell for my mother and me. But because of the efforts made by our lawyers and a few member of the victims' family the true picture of the crime was presented before the court. This gives us hope that even we will get justice," said Sonu.

A Supreme Court general bench is scheduled to start hearing the Jatin Sarkar murder case from February 16. "The positive judgement in the Rimpa Halder case has given us hope. It has also exposed the CBI's dubious role in the investigation," said advocate BPS Dhakrey, who is representing Bandana in the Supreme Court.

He added that the CBI investigators too should be punished for misguiding the court. "There is a serious need to punish the investigating agency in these extreme cases. It has been made clear that the CBI tried to favour a murder accused," said Dhakrey.

Bandana is hoping that the Supreme Court too will question the CBI's honesty in solving the murders. "Though I trusted the court to give us justice, but the way the Noida police and the CBI distorted evidences to save Moninder Singh Pandher crushed our hopes," said Bandana.

Vindicated

'Our two-year-long struggle has yielded results today.'

-u00a0Anil Halder, Rimpa's father

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Hang them

'We are hoping for the harshest punishment for them.'

-u00a0Lawyer Khalid Khan

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Justice for all

"Now I am looking forward to justice."

-u00a0Bandana Sarkar, mother of Pinki

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Hand-in-glove

'The judgement has exposed the CBI's dubious role.'

- Advocate BPS Dhakrey

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