Greater Noida, November 12: Surendra Koli, the accused in the gruesome 2006 Nithari serial killings, walked out of Gautam Budhh Nagar’s Luksar Jail in Greater Noida on Wednesday evening after being acquitted by the Supreme Court in the last of the 13 cases against him. After spending around two decades in jail, he has been finally released from prison.
The apex court allowed his curative petition challenging his conviction, bringing an end to nearly two decades of legal proceedings in one of the country’s most chilling criminal cases.
A bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai, with Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, allowed Koli’s curative petition, observing that his conviction could not be sustained on conjecture or inconsistent evidence.
The court pointed out several procedural lapses in the investigation, including delayed recording of Koli’s confession and questionable recovery of evidence, adding that similar evidence had already led to acquittals in other related cases.
Following the verdict, Koli’s lawyer Payoshi Roy said the ruling exposed serious flaws in the criminal justice process, noting that her client “was nearly executed twice” despite weak evidence, reported Hindustan Times.
She termed the judgment a “moral victory” and a reminder of how the poor and voiceless often face systemic bias in sensational cases. Roy added that Koli’s acquittal should prompt deeper reflection on the use of the death penalty and the urgent need for reforms in how criminal investigations are handled in India.
