The 13 lives of Surinder Koli: 'Butcher of Nithari' already acquitted in 12 cases; SC clears him in Rimpa Haldar murder too

NEW DELHI: Surinder Koli, the accused in the 2006 Nithari serial killings and sentenced to death in 13 murder cases, is set to walk free after 19 years in prison, having narrowly escaped execution twice.

Convicted by the trial court and with his appeals and review pleas dismissed by the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court, Koli finally secured relief through a curative petition—the final judicial remedy available to an accused seeking justice.

HC acquitted Surinder Koli in 12 cases. The Rimpa Haldar case, in which Koli’s death sentence was earlier commuted to a life

term by high court in 2015, was the one that kept him in jail. SC's ruling on November 11 acquitted him in this case too.



The 13 lives of Surinder Koli:

• Case 1 | Murder of a 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar Sentence: Trial court | Feb 13, 2009 | Death penalty High Court: Sept 11, 2009 | Commuted to life term Supreme Court: Nov 11, 2025 | Acquitted
• Case 2 | Rape & murder of girl (7) Sentence: Trial Court | May 12, 2010 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 3 | Murder of an 8-yr-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | Oct 28, 2010 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 4 | Rape & murder of a 12-year-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | Dec 22, 2010 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 5 | Rape & murder of a 5-yearold girl Sentence: Trial Court | Dec 24, 2012 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 6 | Rape & murder of a 25-year-old domestic help Sentence: Trial Court | Oct 7, 2016 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted Case 7 | Rape & murder of an 11-year-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | Dec 16, 2016 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 8 | Murder of a 20-year-old woman Sentence: Trial Court | Jul 24, 2017 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 9 | Rape & murder of a 25-year-old domestic help Sentence: Trial Court | Dec 8, 2017 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted Case 10 | Murder of a 14-year-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | Mar 2, 2019 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 11 | Murder of a 10-year-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | Apr 6, 2019 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted
• Case 12 | Rape & murder of 20-year-old domestic helper Sentence: Trial Court | Jan 16, 2021 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted Case 13 | Rape & murder of a 10-year-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | March 26, 2021 | Acquitted
• Case 14 | Kidnap & murder of a six-year-old boy Sentence: Trial Court | Jan 8, 2022 | Acquitted
• Case 15 | Murder of two-and-a-halfyear-old child Sentence: Trial Court | Jan 14, 2022 | Acquitted
• Case 16 | Rape & murder of a 22-year-old girl Sentence: Trial Court | May 19, 2022 | Death penalty High Court: Oct 16, 2023 | Acquitted

Who is Surinder Koli?

• 1970: Born in Almora, Uttarakhand.
• 1998: Married Shanti Devi and had two children.
• 2003: Moved to Noida for work, reportedly working as a cook.
• 2005–2006: Employed as domestic help by Moninder Singh Pandher.
• Dec 2006: Arrested for the Nithari murders, a case that shocked the nation.

Koli was accused of killing 13 girls and young women aged between 5 and 25, with allegations of cannibalism and necrophilia. In 2006, he was convicted and sentenced to death by the CBI trial court in Ghaziabad. Over the years, his appeals were rejected by the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court, and he narrowly escaped execution on multiple occasions.

Life in prison was initially harsh. Fellow inmates often taunted Koli over the nature of his crimes, leading him to display volatile behavior. “He was rude, arrogant, demanding, always angry,” a jailer recalled. Koli spent much of his time preparing legal arguments, filing RTIs, and writing drafts for hearings.

However, Koli’s demeanor changed over time. Following a curative petition in the Supreme Court, he became increasingly quiet and meditative. Jail officials noted that he had begun praying daily—a practice he never engaged in before—possibly reflecting a belief in his eventual acquittal.

Work And Daily Life in Jail

Transferred to Greater Noida jail from Dasna in 2023, Koli was assigned the job of a prison guard, overseeing inmates and the mess area. He reportedly took the role seriously, earning Rs 10,000 over six months—the first wages of his life in prison.

“His legal files, weighing nearly 20kg, are kept next to his bedding, but he no longer opens them,” said a jailer. Since 2023, Koli has written only two letters: one requesting clothes left behind in Dasna and another regarding a money order.

No family members have visited him at Greater Noida, except for Supreme Court advocates and a single visit by his son Rudra Pratap in 2022.

After 19 years in prison, Koli is preparing to start life anew. Jailers describe him as calm, disciplined, and cautious about his freedom. “He’s not the same man who came to Dasna in 2006. It seems he is waiting to start his life from scratch,” a jailer said.

Surinder Koli’s release marks the end of one of India’s most infamous criminal cases, leaving the nation reflecting on both the failings of the investigation and the complexities of justice.