The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the curative petition filed by Surendra Koli challenging his conviction and death sentence in one of the infamous Nithari murder cases, bringing an end to his nearly two-decade-long incarceration.

With the top court’s decision, Koli is now a free man, as he has already been acquitted in all other Nithari cases by the Allahabad High Court.

The order was passed by a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, which heard Koli’s plea in open court — a rare occurrence in curative matters.

Koli had been convicted for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Noida’s Nithari village. His conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court in February 2011, and his review plea was dismissed in 2014.

However, the Allahabad H

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