Supreme Court Stays Premature Release of Gangster-Turned-Politician Arun Gawli in Murder Case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving a life sentence for the 2007 murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar.

The decision comes in response to an appeal by the Maharashtra government against the April 5th order of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, which directed authorities to consider Gawli’s application for early release under the 2006 remission policy.

Gawli had petitioned for release citing compliance with all conditions of the 2006 policy, claiming he’s reached 65 years of age and is medically certified as weak. However, the state government argued against his release, pointing to revised guidelines stating that convicts of organized crime must serve 40 years of actual imprisonment before being considered for early release.

The high court ruled in Gawli’s favour, saying that the 2006 policy was tailored for elderly and physically weak prisoners and that the 2010 guidelines didn’t apply. It instructed the state to release Gawli within four weeks of the order, prompting the state government to request a four-month extension to implement the ruling due to their appeal to the Supreme Court.

Gawli was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2012 for Jamsandekar’s murder, along with a hefty fine imposed by the sessions court in Mumbai.