The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) on Wednesday welcomed the Allahabad High Court's decision for commuting the death sentence of Surinder Koli, convicted in 2006 Nithari serial killings case, into life imprisonment.
The judgment came on the grounds of delay in deciding his mercy petition, which was three years and three months as a step towards providing timely access to justice to death row convicts.
"The consideration of mercy pleas by the President of India on the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs has become a matter of national shame because of the delay and consistent violations of the guidelines on the mercy pleas adopted by the Ministry of Home Affairs itself, laws based on stare decisis, natural justice, equality and past precedents set by the former Presidents in cases of similar facts and circumstances while advising the President," ACHR director Suhas Chakma said.
The ACHR further called upon the Government of India for abolition of death penalty in India. (ANI)
Earlier in the day, the death sentence of Koli was commuted to life imprisonment by the Allahabad High Court on the ground of "inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy petition.
Koli was sentenced to death for rape and murder of a girl called Rimpa Haldar from Nithari village at Noida in February 2006.
