Gawli in his plea stated that the cases used by police to invoke the stringent MCOCA against him, were all “personal disputes” not amounting to an activity led by any organized crime syndicate.

In a 200- page application filed in October, Gawli had claimed that the police while invoking MCOCA have cited four criminal cases registered against him to invoke MCOCA, of which two were property disputes that had been settled. A third case is related to assault on a journalist which does not come under to Section 307- (attempt to murder) and was again a “personal dispute”.

However, MCOCA judge R G Awachat rejected the bail accepting the prosecutions argument that the property dispute can amount to organized crime and can be executed in the form of an organized crime. Gawli and 13 others were arrested in connection with the murder of Shiv Sena corporator Jamsandekar.