In a significant development, ex-mafia don-turned-politician Arun Gawli is set to be freed prematurely from Nagpur Central Jail as per Bombay High Court order. The court allowed Gawli’s plea challenging rejection of premature release claim due to a government notification.
A division bench comprising Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Vrushali Joshi has allowed a criminal re-petition filed by Arun Gawli challenging the rejection of his previous plea claiming premature release given a government notification of January 10, 2006. Gawli’s lawyer, Mir Nagman Ali, stated that his application was rejected on grounds of a fresh notification in 2015.
The state had registered Gawli’s petition on the ground that the 2015 notification specifically excludes the convict under MCOCA from the benefits of the policy. Adv. Ali explained that even the 2006 notification makes it clear that convicts under laws like the NDPS, TADA, MPDA, etc., are not entitled to the policy benefits.
After hearing both sides, the court directed the state to decide on Gawli’s release within four weeks, paving the way for his premature release from the jail where he has spent 16 years. Originally based in Mumbai, Arun Gawli, 69, served as an MLA from 2004 to 2009, was convicted in 2012 for the murder of a Shiv Sena leader, Kamlakar Jamsandekar.
This development has raised questions regarding the government’s policies on premature release for convicts under specific laws. The court’s decision has sparked debates among legal experts and the public on the proper implementation of these policies. Arun Gawli’s impending release has also brought attention back to his controversial past as a notorious figure in Mumbai’s criminal underworld.
