Nithari case: 13 death sentences, not 1 year of freedom – Koli’s legal Odyssey

Surinder Koli, sentenced to death in 13 Nithari killings cases and once hours away from execution, spent nearly two decades fighting to prove his innocence. After the Allahabad high court acquitted him in 12 cases, the Supreme Court cleared him in the last case in November 2025. Koli, who often argued his own cases from jail, walked free after nearly 19 years behind bars. He was found dead in Haridwar on Friday, less than a year after his release.