Bombay High Court stays Shiv Sena corporator’s bail in doctor assault case, orders surrender

5 min readMumbaiJul 18, 2026 04:39 PM IST

Ramesh Mhatre was arrested for assaulting a doctor and nurses at the Dombivli civic hospital. (Special arrangement photo, Image enhanced using AI)

In a special sitting on Saturday, the Bombay High Court stayed the bail granted by the Kalyan Court to Shiv Sena Corporator Ramesh Sukrya Mhatre, who was arrested for allegedly attacking a woman doctor and assaulting two other male doctors. He is directed to surrender to Vishnu Nagar Police Station in Dombivli.

“In the event he does not surrender or he is not reachable, the authorities will be at liberty to follow the due procedure for initiating steps for attaching his immovable properties.”

A bench led by Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge took suo motu cognisance of news reports pertaining to the July 6 incident including the one reported by The Indian Express and initiated a suo motu writ petition on Saturday. The Court also stayed the bail granted to the co-accused in the case.

The news reports also included the protests and uproar by doctors across Maharashtra against the assault and the call for a statewide strike by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

The High Court also appealed to all doctors working in municipal and state government hospitals, along with the Indian Medical Association (IMA), to reconsider their call for a strike from July 20 “in the larger interest of society and service to mankind.”

The Court also appealed to all doctors working in municipal and state government hospitals, along with the Indian Medical Association (IMA), to reconsider their call for a strike from July 20 “in the larger interest of society and service to mankind.”

The incident of “brutal assault” took place on July 6 at Municipal Shastri Nagar Hospital following a disagreement over the treatment of a pregnant woman. Doctors had advised her family to shift her to another hospital, stating that all Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) beds at the facility were occupied.

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The patient’s family subsequently contacted the Shiv Sena corporator, who represents Kopar Prabhag/ward, following which he and his associates allegedly assaulted doctors at the hospital. Mhatre was later arrested along with three others allegedly involved in the incident.

The HC observed that in the last 36 years, 18 crimes were registered against Mhatre, some of which included grave offences, and he was acquitted in 17 of them.

“We find from the order granting bail that the magistrate did not even notice that the accused was not even interrogated after recording his first statement. In a case where accused Mhatre led four more accused and attacked three doctors in a Municipal Hospital, showing his fury against doctors, it could not have been taken lightly by the magistrate, more so in the backdrop of 18 offences registered against him in the past,” the HC noted in its order.

“Considering the overall impact of the conduct of Mhatre and the effect that his actions have had on the medical professionals, especially the doctors working in municipal and government hospitals who are employees of the state government, prima facie we do not find that the magistrate could have passed an order which does not even deal with the antecedents of the accused and the assault he caused on the three doctors,” it added.

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While in custody, Mhatre was admitted to the Thane District Government Hospital on the night of July 13 for medical reasons, including a rise in blood pressure, and was granted bail the next day. The HC noted, “When the release memo was issued and Mhatre was set at liberty, he was discharged from the hospital and was allowed to go.”

“Till the bail was not granted, he was hospitalised, and the moment bail was granted, he became fit to be discharged. That’s how it works,” a bench of Acting CJ Ghuge and Justice Gautam A Ankhad orally remarked.

When the High Court sought to know why the police did not appeal against the bail order, Advocate General Milind Sathe and Chief Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray, appearing for the government, stated that the order of the trial court was made available on the night of July 17.

The Kalyan Court while granting bail to Mhatre had also observed that Mhatre had one kidney and suffered from multiple health issues.

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Omkar Gokhale is a journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates exceptionally strong Expertise and Authority in legal and judicial reporting, making him a highly Trustworthy source for developments concerning the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court in relation to Maharashtra and its key institutions.

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Core Authority & Specialization: Omkar Gokhale's work is almost exclusively dedicated to the complex field of legal affairs and jurisprudence, specializing in:

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Fundamental Rights & Environment: Cases on air pollution, the right to life of residents affected by dumping sites, and judicial intervention on critical infrastructure (e.g., Ghodbunder Road potholes).

Civil & Criminal Law: Reporting on significant bail orders (e.g., Elgaar Parishad case), compensation for rail-related deaths, and disputes involving high-profile individuals (e.g., Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty).

Constitutional and Supreme Court Matters: Reports and analysis on key legal principles and Supreme Court warnings concerning Maharashtra, such as those related to local body elections, reservations, and the creamy layer verdict.

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