Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli walked out of Nagpur Central Jail on Tuesday after spending 17 years behind bars. The Supreme Court granted him bail on August 28. Prison officials completed the required legal formalities before his release around 12.30 p.m. Gawli was taken under police security to Nagpur airport from where he left for Mumbai.
In 2012, a special MCOCA court sentenced Gawli to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. He was also fined Rs 17 lakh. On August 28 this year, Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh of the Supreme Court approved his bail plea.
Earlier, in April 2024, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court had ordered his early release under the 2006 state remission policy. The court noted that Gawli was 65 years old and had completed 14 years of his sentence, making him eligible. However, the Supreme Court stayed the order in June and July 2024 and postponed further hearings.
Gawli rose to power from Dagdi Chawl in Mumbai. He later founded the Akhil Bharatiya Sena political party and served as an MLA from Chinchpokli constituency between 2004 and 2009.