Supreme Court Rejects Arun Gawli's Parole Plea

The Supreme Court of India has refused to grant parole to notorious gangster Arun Gawli, who is currently serving a life sentence for the 2007 murder of corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. Gawli's appeal for parole was based on his age, but the Supreme Court's decision has left him with no immediate prospect of release.

Background of the Case

In 2007, Kamlakar Jamsandekar, a Shiv Sena corporator, was brutally murdered in his home in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. The crime occurred on the evening of March 2, when Jamsandekar was watching television. Four men arrived on motorcycles, one of whom entered Jamsandekar's home and shot him at point-blank range. Jamsandekar's niece, Manali Hire, witnessed the incident and sought help, but by the time Jamsandekar was taken to the hospital, he had succumbed to his injuries.

The investigation revealed that Arun Gawli, then an MLA of the Byculla constituency, had orchestrated the murder. Gawli and 11 others were subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Parole Appeal and Supreme Court Ruling

Arun Gawli, who has served 14 years of his sentence and is now over 65 years old, sought parole under the 2006 amnesty policy, which allows for the release of life sentence prisoners who have completed 14 years of imprisonment and are above 65 years of age. The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court had initially granted his release, but the state government challenged this decision in the Supreme Court.

During the recent hearing, the Supreme Court refused to grant Gawli parole, emphasizing that his age alone was not sufficient grounds for release. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for November, leaving Gawli to remain in jail until then.

Political Career

Arun Gawli, often referred to as the "Daddy" of Mumbai's underworld, also had a brief political career. In 2004, he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai South Central Constituency and received 92,210 votes. He won the Chinchpokli Assembly seat the same year with 31,964 votes. However, his political aspirations dwindled after his defeat in the 2009 elections to Congress candidate Madhu Chavan. Gawli's daughter, Geeta Gawli, has also been active in politics, contesting assembly elections in 2014 and 2019, though with limited success.

As the legal battle continues, Arun Gawli's hopes for parole remain uncertain, marking another chapter in the storied life of one of Mumbai's most infamous figures.