Gawli calls judge ‘biased’,seeks case transfer

Gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli,who was in August convicted and sentenced to life term by a special MCOCA court,has moved an application before the Principal Sessions Judge seeking transfer of his case from the court. Gawli in his application has alleged that the Special Judge Prithviraj Chavan was biased against him and had made up his mind to convict him in another extortion case,he is facing trial in. Special Judge Chavan had convicted Gawli and 10 others to life imprisonment for conspiring and murdering a Shiv Sena corporator,Kamlakar Jamsandekar,in 2007.

The application claims that it is the right of an accused to seek transfer of the case if he feels that the judge is not fair to the accused.

Gawli was arrested on April 21,2008,for allegedly trying to extort Rs 25 lakh from a builder since 2004. In 2010,he was granted bail in the extortion case.

The prosecution has cited four instances of extortion registered in 2004 and 2005. Gawli has been booked under several sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.