Expressing "disappointment" with the Nithari killings probe, the Allahabad High Court on October 16 acquitted accused Maninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli noting that the investigation was "botched up" and "basic norms of collecting evidence" were "brazenly violated".
The failure of the prosecution was nothing short of a "betrayal of public trust" by responsible agencies, the High Court said.
Pandher was acquitted in two cases in which he was facing the death penalty while Koli was let off in 12 cases in which he was awarded capital punishment.