Don Arun Gawli pleads for freedom at 70 from prison
Mumbai: The daddy of Mumbai’s Gawli Chawl, known to the world as underworld don Arun Gawli, has completed 70 years. Out of which he has spent 14 years in jail. Now, Arun Gawli has filed a petition before the Nagpur bench of the Maharashtra High Court, praying for a pardon.
The petition cited the circular of the Home Department under which convicts who have served 14 years of imprisonment and who are above 65 years of age can be released from jail.
Deteriorating health was also cited
Underworld gangster Arun Gawli is in jail since 2008. He has filed this petition after 14 years of the sentence. It has been told in the petition that he is 70 years old. Due to old age, he is suffering from many health related problems. At the same time, in the year 2006, the circular of the Home Department gives force to his petition. According to which those prisoners who have completed 14 years of sentence are entitled to be released, whose age is more than 65 years.
The 2015 circular of the government has also been referred to in this writ petition. According to which criminals booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) are not entitled to it and are exempted from the 2006 notification.
On which Arun Gawli has challenged sub-rule 4 of rule-6 of the Maharashtra Prison Rules, 1972. Which was added through notification dated 1 December 2015. Rule 6 thereof was amended on 20 January 2006 to enable persons convicted under the MCOCA Act to take advantage of the notification. It has been mentioned in the writ petition that since Gawli was convicted in the year 2012, the 2015 notification is not applicable to him.
A double bench of Nagpur bench comprising Justice Vinay Joshi and Justice Valmiki Menezes issued notice on Gawli’s plea and sought reply by March 15.
In fact, in the year 2007 Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar was shot dead at his house in Sakinaka Andheri by a man named Vijay Giri. Investigation revealed that Jamsandekar was eliminated at the behest of Arun Gawli. Gawli had received a supari worth Rs 30 lakh. Arrested in this case in the year 2008. At that time he was an MLA. In 2012, the lower court sentenced him to life imprisonment. Later, the High Court also upheld the order of the lower court.
