Supreme Court Upholds Stay on Premature Release of Arun Gawli

The Supreme Court has confirmed its earlier decision to stay the premature release of Arun Gawli, a gangster-turned-politician serving a life sentence. The decision follows Gawli's appeal under the 2006 remission policy, despite Maharashtra's revised 2015 law. The case is posted for a hearing on November 20.

The Supreme Court has affirmed its previous order preventing the premature release of Arun Gawli, the gangster turned politician currently serving a life sentence. The court made absolute its June 3 order, which stayed the Bombay High Court's directive to consider Gawli's release under the 2006 remission policy.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta reviewed the case and announced that the appeals would be heard on November 20. Gawli's 46 criminal cases, including around 10 for murder, weighed heavily in the decision. The court questioned whether Gawli had reformed despite being behind bars for over 17 years.

Senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, representing Gawli, argued that he is eligible for release due to age and health issues, but state counsel Raja Thakare contended that the 2015 policy should apply, requiring at least 40 years of imprisonment. Gawli, convicted for the 2007 murder of Mumbai Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar, remains behind bars amid ongoing legal disputes.

(With inputs from agencies.)