Allahabad--The death sentence of Surender Koli, convicted in 2006 Nithari serial killings case, was today commuted to life imprisonment by the Allahabad High Court on the ground of "inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy petition.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P K S Baghel held that execution of Koli's death sentence would be "unconstitutional in view of the inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy petition.
The order came on a Public Interest Litigation filed by NGO People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) which contended that the period elapsed in disposal of Koli's mercy petition was "3 years and 3 months" and, as such, execution of death sentence would be in violation of the Right to Life granted in Article 21 of the Constitution.