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In a new turn in the Nithari serial killings, a designated CBI court on Wednesday ordered framing of murder and rape charges against Moninder Singh Pandher, who was earlier given a clean chit by the investigating agency.
Disposing of an application moved by Vandana Sarkar through her lawyer Khalid Khan, Judge Rama Jain passed orders in the regard and issued a non-bailable warrant against Pandher.
Vandana, mother of Pinki Sarkar, who was murdered in Pandher's house allegedly by his servant Surinder Koli, had recorded her statement before the judge alleging that Pandher was involved in the gruesome killing of his daughter.
The CBI had given a clean chit to Pandher in this as well as 10 other cases in which the agency has filed chargesheets.
The court also ordered framing of charges of destruction of evidence, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy against Pandher, who is at present in judicial custody.
Ironically, the CBI was opposing the application moved by Sarkar, who has also filed a police complaint against CBI Director Vijay Shanker, Superintendent of Police J A Jeelani and one more person for allegedly indulging in criminal intimidation leading to death of her husband.
A case has been registered agianst these three in Murishdabad police station in West Bengal.
The judge has already ordered framing charges against Pandher for the rape and murder of Payal (22) on the basis of her father Nand Lal's statement to the court on July 22.
He later retracted from the statement a fortnight ago. An emotionally-upset Vandana vowed that she would 'send Pandher to the gallows for the rape and murder of my daughter.'
"My husband was killed. My daughter was raped and murdered. Now I shall not withdraw my statement like Nand Lal," she said.