The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has granted a 28-day furlough to gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is currently serving a life sentence here for the 2007 murder of a Mumbai Shiv Sena corporator.
A division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi on Tuesday allowed the petition filed by Gawli, seeking his release on furlough.
His lawyer Mir Nagman Ali said Gawli approached the Nagpur bench of the high court, praying for his release as his application was earlier rejected by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Prisons, (East division) Nagpur.
The DIG Prisons had rejected Gawli's petition stating the gangster's release may create a law and order situation.
However, Gawli's counsel told the court that his release on furlough on earlier occasions had not created any law and order situation.
Gawli's application also mentioned that the Maharashtra assembly elections were already over.
It said that as far as amendment to parole and furlough rules were concerned, it had come into force after rejection of his furlough application and hence would not be applicable to him.
After the high court heard Gawli's side, it allowed his application and ordered his release from the Nagpur central jail for a period of 28 days in accordance with law after imposing reasonable conditions.
Gawli is the founder of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena and was an MLA from 2004-2009 from Chinchpokli seat of Mumbai and has shot into prominence from Dagdi Chawl, a neighbourhood of Byculla.
He was arrested for the 2007 murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar and in August 2012, a sessions court in Mumbai had sentenced him to life imprisonment in the murder case.
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