New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday granted bail to gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case after noting his long incarceration.
Gawli is undergoing life imprisonment for the 2007 murder of Mumbai Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh noted that Gawli was in jail for over 17 years and his appeal was pending before it.
“Admittedly, the appellant has been under incarceration for 17 years and three months. We also take note of the fact that he is 76 years old,” the bench said.
The top court granted bail subject to terms and conditions imposed by the trial court.
The apex court posted the matter for final hearing in February, 2026.
Gawli challenged December 9, 2019 verdict of the Bombay High Court, upholding his life sentence given by the trial court.
He shot into prominence from Dagdi Chawl, a neighbourhood of Byculla, and is the founder of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena.
He was an MLA from 2004-2009 from the Chinchpokli seat of Mumbai.
Gawli and others were 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.
PTI