Supreme Court on Arun Gawli

The Supreme Court of India has confirmed its earlier stay on the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment for murder. The court upheld its June 3 order, which halted the Bombay High Court's directive to consider Gawli's application for release under an older remission policy. The court noted that Gawli has over 46 cases against him, including multiple murder charges, and questioned whether he has shown signs of reform during his 17 years in prison. Senior advocate Raja Thakare argued that Gawli's release would violate the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, which requires a minimum of 40 years of imprisonment for remission. In contrast, Gawli's lawyer contended that he qualifies for release under the 2006 policy, which considers age and infirmity. The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for the appeals on November 20.