After over 17 years behind bars, notorious gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli walked out of Nagpur Central Jail on Wednesday, following a Supreme Court decision to grant him bail in a 2007 murder case. The 76-year-old, once a feared figure in Mumbai’s underworld, was serving a life sentence for the murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. His release marks a significant turn in a saga that has gripped Mumbai’s political and criminal landscape for decades.

The Supreme Court, comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh, granted Gawli bail, noting that he had already spent more than 17 years in prison while his appeal against the conviction remains pending. The court’s decision came with conditions set by the trial court, though specific details of those terms were not disclosed. “After completing all legal formalities with the prisons department, Gawli was released around 12:30 pm,” a jail official confirmed. His release was met with an emotional welcome from family members, his lawyer, and a small group of supporters gathered outside the jail.

Gawli, who rose to infamy from the gritty streets of Dagdi Chawl in Byculla, Mumbai, was convicted under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). His criminal empire, once a dominant force in Mumbai’s underworld, made him a household name. However, Gawli also carved out a political career, founding the Akhil Bharatiya Sena and serving as an MLA from Mumbai’s Chinchpokli constituency between 2004 and 2009. His dual identity as a gangster and politician kept him in the public eye, blending fear with a controversial charisma.

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The case that led to his imprisonment began with the 2007 murder of Kamlakar Jamsandekar, a Shiv Sena corporator. In August 2012, a Mumbai sessions court sentenced Gawli to life imprisonment and imposed a hefty fine of Rs 17 lakh. Gawli challenged the verdict, but the Bombay High Court upheld the sentence on December 9, 2019. Undeterred, Gawli escalated his appeal to the Supreme Court, which ultimately led to his bail. The pending appeal will determine his long-term fate, but for now, Gawli is a free man.

Gawli’s release has sparked mixed reactions. Supporters view him as a Robin Hood-like figure who addressed the concerns of Mumbai’s underprivileged, while critics see him as a symbol of the city’s dark underbelly, where crime and politics often intertwine. As he steps back into a changed world, questions linger about whether Gawli will return to public life or fade into obscurity. For now, his release closes one chapter of his controversial life, but the next remains unwritten.

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