Bombay High Court Grants Furlough to Arun Gawli, Overturns Prison Decision

Nagpur, 9th January 2025: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has granted a furlough to Arun Gulab Gawli, a former underworld figure after he challenged the rejection of his previous furlough request by the Deputy Inspector General of Prisons (East).

Gawli, convicted under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), faced opposition to his release. Government officials argued that his freedom could disrupt public order and raised concerns over his daughter’s potential political ambitions. They also cited new rules limiting furloughs for those convicted under MCOCA.

In his defence, Gawli’s lawyer, Mir Nagman Ali, asserted that Gawli’s previous furloughs had not resulted in law-and-order issues. He argued that the new rule changes were applied retroactively and that the furlough denial was unjust. “Furlough is a legal entitlement that offers inmates a chance for temporary relief and reintegration into society,” Ali said, highlighting Gawli’s good behaviour during earlier furloughs and paroles.

After reviewing the case and considering legal precedents, the bench, consisting of Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi, overturned the DIG’s decision. They granted Gawli a 28-day furlough under certain conditions.

Gawli has been incarcerated at Nagpur Central Jail since August 3, 2012, after being convicted for the contract killing of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined ₹17 lakh by an MCOCA court, along with 11 other co-accused.

Once a key figure in Mumbai’s underworld, Gawli later entered politics and was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2004, representing the Chinchpokli constituency, now renamed Byculla.