In a surprising turn, the Supreme Court on August 28, 2025, granted interim bail to Arun Gawli, the notorious Dagdi Chawl don turned politician, who has been serving a life sentence for the 2007 murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar. Gawli, now around 76 years old, has spent almost 18 years in prison. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh cited the unusually long incarceration in granting bail pending appeal, subject to the trial court’s terms. However, the State retains the right to move for cancellation of bail if Gawli breaches conditions or commits a new offense.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the final hearing for February 2026. Gawli, who rose from being a mill worker to an underworld figure and later founded the Akhil Bharatiya Sena, was convicted in 2012 and fined ₹17 lakh. His last remaining case a 2005 builder extortion case was acquitted earlier this year. The bail order brings a dramatic pause to one of Mumbai’s most infamous criminal sagas, blending crime, politics, and decades-long legal battles.