Court to hear Gawli's bail plea on Apr 18

Mumbai, Apr 16 (UNI) A local court will hear the anticipatory bail plea of ganster-turned-politician Arun Gawli on Tuesday in an extortion case registered againt him and three of his associates under Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Additional Sessions Judge S P Davare will hear the anticipatory bail application of Gawli hearing of, which remained inconclusive on Wednesday last week.

If Judge Davare rejects his anticipatory bail application Gawli will be arrested immediately since the police has already invoked MCOCA against him in the same case.

Police have already booked his two aides Sadanand Panchal and Raja Khadvilkar under MCOCA. They were produced before judge Ashok Bangale who remanded them yesterday to police custody till April 29.

In November last year, Mr Mohammed Shakeel Qureshi, a builder had lodged a complaint with Agripada police station, that Gawli's aides were demanding Rs 18 lakh as extortion money to allow him to continue with his construction business.

Fearing arrest, Gawli had moved an anticipatory bail application in Mazgaon court. Additional Sessions Judge Abhay Thipsay had granted him anticipatory bail of Rs 25,000 in the event of arrest.

The prosecution had challenged the Mazgaon court order in Bombay High Court, which directed City and Sessions Principal Judge R R Wachha to assign a court for re-hearing of anticipatory bail application.

Mr Wachha had assigned the matter to Judge Davare's court, which will hear the case on Tuesday.

UNI ST KU VD GC1629