Surendra Koli, a central figure in the 2006 Nithari case, has died in Haridwar. He was released from custody in November 2025 after the Supreme Court acquitted him of all charges, ending a 19-year legal process.
Surendra Koli, whose name became widely associated with the 2006 Nithari murder case in Noida, was found dead in Haridwar on Friday. Local authorities are investigating the incident as a probable suicide, though no note was recovered from the site. This event marks the end of a long and contentious legal chapter that spanned nearly two decades.
Koli was originally arrested in December 2006 alongside his employer, Moninder Singh Pandher, following the discovery of human remains near a bungalow in Noida’s Sector 31. The case drew significant public and media attention, leading to multiple death sentences against Koli by 2009. His execution was stayed by the Supreme Court in 2014, delaying the process indefinitely.
The Legal Course and Acquittal
The evidentiary basis of the prosecution's case eventually faced rigorous scrutiny from higher courts. In October 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli in 12 cases, highlighting significant failures in the chain of custody and questions regarding the voluntary nature of the confessions. The court concluded that the prosecution's theory lacked sufficient forensic evidence.
Despite these acquittals, Koli remained incarcerated due to a separate conviction in the initial case. On November 11, 2025, a Supreme Court bench led by former Chief Justice BR Gavai set aside this final conviction. The court ruled that it was legally untenable to uphold a conviction based on evidence that had already been deemed insufficient in related matters. Koli was released from Kasna jail on November 12, 2025, after serving 19 years in custody. Following his release, he had relocated to Haridwar.