India, Sept. 1 -- The Supreme Court on Monday allowed an open court hearing to Nithari killings convict Surendra Koli's challenge to its sole order of conviction in 2011 after he was acquitted in 12 cases of rape and murder involving nearly a dozen girls between 2005 and 2007.

Koli filed a curative petition on August 30, a month after the Supreme Court on July 30 held him innocent in 12 cases related to the Nithari killings, concluding that the prosecution failed to prove his guilt and noted procedural flaws in the investigation.

Advocate Payoshi Roy appeared before the bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai and Justice Vinod K Chandran for an urgent hearing on the curative petition. "In 12 cases, he has been acquitted. H...