India, Nov. 12 -- When the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surendra Koli in the final surviving Nithari case, it did more than just erase a conviction - it exposed one of the worst failures of India's criminal justice system. Nearly two decades after the discovery of human remains from a drain behind a Noida bungalow shocked the country, no one now stands convicted for the rape and killing of at least 16 women and children. For the families who lost their children, there is no closure; instead, there is the confirmation of a collapse.

The apex court's judgment, delivered by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, held that the 2011 conviction of Koli could not stand when he ha...