The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned Surendra Koli’s conviction in the final pending case linked to the Nithari killings.

A three-judge bench comprising B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath allowed Koli’s curative petition and set aside his conviction from a case involving the rape and murder of a teenage girl.

This order brings to a close the last pending legal case in the series of atrocities linked to the Nithari killings, a chain of events that surfaced when skeletal remains of eight children were discovered behind the residence of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida on December 29, 2006.

Koli, who had been employed at Pandher’s house, was accused of abduction, rape, mutilation and disposal of victims’ remains in a drain. In total, 19 FIRs had been filed in connection with alleged crimes against 19 girls in this case.

Earlier, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court had sentenced both Koli and Pandher to death in multiple cases.

On appeal, the Allahabad High Court in October 2023 acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two. Koli’s death sentence was commuted to life in January 2015.

Following the high court verdict, Koli remained incarcerated because one case still upheld his life sentence.

With this latest direction from the Supreme Court to set aside the conviction and order his release in that remaining case, Koli is now free.

Legal observers say the decision stems from procedural delays, long-drawn appeals and fresh evaluation of evidence submitted during the curative petition.