The Supreme Court has approved bail for Arun Gawli, the former gangster and current politician, in the 2007 murder case involving Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. Gawli, who is 76 years old, was implicated under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA). The justices, M.M. Sunderesh and N. Kotishwar Singh, granted the bail because the plea had been before the court for seventeen years and three months. The final hearing for the case is set for February 2026. In June 2024, the Supreme Court had previously halted the Bombay High Court’s decision to release Gawli prematurely. This stay order was later extended by the top court. Gawli argued in his plea that the state’s denial of his request for early release was unfair and should be overturned. The Maharashtra government opposed his plea in the High Court. Despite the state’s objections, the High Court ordered authorities to act within four weeks; however, the state requested more time to challenge the decision. The High Court then gave the government more time to implement the order. Gawli was arrested and tried in 2006 for the murder of Jamsandekar, and was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Mumbai Sessions Court in August 2012.
