Nagpur: The Supreme Court on Thursday in its order granted bail to gangster-turned-politician and former Maharashtra MLA, Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case, after noting that he has been incarcerated for nearly 18 years. At present, Gawli is lodged at Nagpur Central Jail and serving a life sentence since 2007.
“Taking into consideration that the appellant (Arun Gawli) has been incarcerated for a period of almost 18 years, we are inclined to grant bail to them. Accordingly, the appellant is directed to be released on bail, during the pendency of the appeals, on such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the Trial Court,” said a two-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice M M Sundresh and Justice N Kotiswar Singh, in the order on August 28.
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18 Aug 2025
Gawli, 76, is undergoing life imprisonment for the 2007 murder of Mumbai Shiv Sena Corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar.
The top court, however, granted liberty to the respondents (State and probe agency) to file an appropriate application for cancellation of the appellant’s bail, if the same person was found to be violating either the conditions imposed by the Trial Court or are found to be involved in any other offence.
The court fixed the appeal for consideration in February, 2026, said the order.
Opposing the bail of Gawli, the Maharashtra Government argued that he was facing over 46 cases, including around 10 cases of murder. It said under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), convicts had to undergo imprisonment for at least 40 years for remission in terms of the 2015 policy.
Gawli’s counsel, strongly making a case for bail, said since her client was convicted in 2009, the 2006 policy will apply, which allowed remission on account of age and infirmity.
It may be mentioned that Gawli had challenged the December 9, 2019, verdict of the Bombay High Court that upheld the life sentence given to him by the trial court. Gawli shot to fame from Dagdi Chawl, a neighbourhood of Byculla, from where he ran the show. After developing political ambition, the gangster floated Akhil Bharatiya Sena and was elected MLA in 2004 from the Chinchpokli seat of Mumbai metropolis. Gawli, along with others, was arrested in 2006 and tried for the murder of Jamsandekar. In August 2012, a Sessions Court in Mumbai sentenced him to life imprisonment in the case and imposed a Rs 17 lakh fine.
