NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the plea of Nithari rapist-cum-serial killer Surinder Koli seeking review of the verdict upholding his conviction and death sentence in one of the murder cases.
“We reject the review petition. No grounds have been made to persuade us to reconsider the earlier decision,” a bench headed by Chief Justice of India H L Dattu said.
According to legal experts, Koli is now left with the only option of filing a curative petition. Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, who appeared on his own sought reconsideration of the verdict stating that it was a case of “miscarriage of justice as the confessional statement of the accused was false and cannot be relied upon”.
“One innocent life is more important than anything else. I am shocked that such a thing can happen in the judiciary,” he said. Referring to the confessional statement of Koli, Jethmalani said the accused was told by the police not only to memorise the names of the victims but also the manner of commission of the crime.
“The accused also says that he was tortured. This vitiates the confessional statement. This fact has not been considered either by the trial court or by the HC or by the SC,” he said.