After almost 19 years, the Supreme Court has acquitted Surendra Koli, the last convict in the infamous Nithari serial killings cases, bringing an end to one of India’s most chilling and controversial criminal cases. The top court set aside his 2011 conviction for rape and murder, ordering his immediate release from jail, where he has spent nearly two decades.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Vikram Nath delivered the landmark judgment on Tuesday (11th November), allowing Koli’s curative petition. The bench ruled that his conviction and death sentence were based on serious procedural and evidentiary flaws.

“The petitioner be released forthwith, if not wanted in any other case. The jail superintendent is to be informed of this judgment

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