New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli in the 2007 murder case of Mumbai Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar-Jamsandekar, after noting his long incarceration. Gawli, 76, had been booked under the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 MCOCA.

While granting him bail, a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh considered Gawli’s advanced age and the fact that his appeal seeking bail had been pending before the top court for 17 years and three months. The bench posted the matter for final hearing in February 2026.

Earlier, in June 2024, the top court had stayed the Bombay High Court’s decision granting premature release to Gawli. Following this, the top court extended its stay order on Gawli’s premature release.

Gawli, in his plea, claimed that the state authorities’ rejection of his application for premature release was unjust, arbitrary and liable to be set aside.

The Maharashtra government opposed his plea before the High Court for premature release. The HC had rejected the state government’s contentions and gave authorities four weeks to pass a consequential order in that regard.

However, on May 9, the government again moved the HC, seeking four months to implement the April 5 order stating that they had challenged the verdict by moving the top court.

The HC then gave the government four more weeks to implement the April 5 order for the premature release of Gawli and made it clear that no further extensions would be granted.

Gawli was arrested and underwent a trial in 2006 for the murder of Jamsandekar. In August 2012, the Sessions Court in Mumbai sentenced him to life imprisonment in the murder case.

Mumbai: Mumbai came to a near standstill on Friday as thousands of Manoj Jarange Patil-led Maratha Kranti Morcha supporters marched towards Azad Maidan, choking key roads in South Mumbai. Traffic bottlenecks were reported from almost every entry point into the city’s southern precincts, with CSMT, Fort and Nariman Point witnessing heavy jams.

The Eastern Freeway was completely blocked by protesters, while the Coastal Road saw a traffic snarl stretching from Priyadarshini Park (PDP) to Nariman Point, leaving motorists stranded for hours.

Mumbai Traffic Police issued repeated advisories warning commuters to avoid South Mumbai. “Due to agitation at Azad Maidan avoid using freeway, please plan accordingly,” read one update. Another said: “Due to political agitation, people are requested to avoid going towards CST and surrounding areas.”

BEST bus services were also thrown into disarray. In an update on X, the transport body admitted that with all roads around CSMT closed, buses in every direction had come to a halt. “No alternative routes are currently available for bus services. As a result, services are running irregularly,” the statement said.

On ground, visuals from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Fort area showed a sea of protesters marching in unison, waving placards and raising slogans as they blocked arterial roads. The sheer turnout pushed vehicular movement to a crawl across south-central Mumbai. Videos also showed hundreds of supporters gathered on CSMT’s platforms, adding to the chaos.

Traffic disruptions had begun early in the day from Byculla, where police barricades prevented vehicles carrying protesters from entering the JJ Flyover. Convoys were diverted towards Mohammad Ali Road, creating further pressure on busy stretches. On Thursday night, vehicles carrying Maratha supporters had been halted at the Carnac Bridge, with police directing them to park at the BPT premises in Wadi Bunder and continue on foot to Azad Maidan to avoid a complete shutdown of the city.

The protest’s timing has compounded the challenge for Mumbai Police. The massive mobilisation coincides with the opening days of Ganeshotsav, a festival that already draws lakhs to pandals across the city. Adding to the strain, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Mumbai the same day for Ganesh festivities, necessitating multiple layers of security.

Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil, who has vowed to launch an indefinite hunger strike during Ganeshotsav, reached the city with thousands of followers, intensifying both the agitation and the law-and-order challenge.

Mumbai, August 28: The long-standing concerns of Govandi residents about the Deonar Biomedical Waste Treatment Plant have now been validated in an international peer-reviewed journal, bringing global attention to a crisis that locals have raised for years.

A study by Dr. Tridibesh Dey of Aarhus Universitet, Denmark, published in Science, Technology & Human Values, documents how the facility—burning over 3,500 kg of plastic-rich hospital waste daily—is poisoning one of Mumbai’s most marginalized neighborhoods. Despite official claims of “controlled burning,” the research shows that the plant routinely releases toxic smoke and chemicals into the air.

These emissions, the study notes, compound already high tuberculosis and respiratory illness rates documented earlier by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Dr. Dey describes Govandi as a “toxic sacrifice zone,” where the poor are forced to shoulder the city’s biomedical waste burden.

Local activist Faiyaz Shaikh, cited in the study, welcomed the global spotlight. “Now the world knows our reality. Govandi is choking, and this plant must be relocated,” he said, echoing the deep frustration of residents who have endured decades of hazardous living conditions.

The facility, run by Enviroclean, became a flashpoint during the COVID-19 pandemic when enormous volumes of disposable masks, gloves, and protective gear were incinerated. Residents vividly recall thick black smoke spreading across Baiganwadi, Shivaji Nagar, and adjoining settlements, enveloping homes, schools, and parks.

For many families—Dalits, fisherfolk, and migrant workers from northern India—the pollution is part of daily survival in one of Mumbai’s few affordable localities.

In 2019, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) recommended shutting down the plant after investigating repeated complaints. However, Enviroclean secured a stay order from the Bombay High Court, insisting it was the city’s only biomedical waste disposal facility.

While officials promised relocation and issued notices, deadlines repeatedly shifted. Even after a 2020 MPCB report claimed safety upgrades, residents maintained that smoke and dust continued to pollute their homes.

Now, change is finally underway. Following sustained protests and a Bombay High Court directive, the Govandi biomedical waste plant is being relocated. A new facility is under development at Jambhivali in Panvel, Raigad district, with land already allotted and environmental clearance pending.

Once approved, installation of the new incinerator is expected to take about a year, with relocation likely completed by September 2025. The MPCB is supervising the move, aiming to end decades of toxic exposure for Govandi’s residents.