The Supreme Court on Tuesday firmly endorsed the Bombay High Court’s decision to intervene and stay the bail of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation corporator Ramesh Mhatre, observing that individuals who assault medical professionals do not deserve bail.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih, and Sandeep Mehta made the remarks while considering petitions, including one filed by the Shiv Sena corporator, challenging the High Court’s directives and the conditions attached to his release.
Rejecting arguments from the petitioner’s legal counsel that the High Court had acted improperly, the apex court affirmed that the High Court was completely justified in stepping in on its own initiative. The bench highlighted the severe trauma inflicted on medical staff during mob attacks, noting that video footage showed doctors, including a woman physician, being assaulted inside the hospital.
High Court Directives and State Government Stand
The legal dispute stems from a series of judicial interventions following the incident in Thane district. A local court in Thane initially granted bail to Mhatre on July 14. Four days later, on July 18, the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter, labelled the lower court’s decision perverse, stayed the bail order, and directed Mhatre to surrender to the police.
On August 7, the High Court granted bail to Mhatre alongside three other co-accused while establishing stringent conditions, including an order requiring them to remain outside Maharashtra until investigators file a chargesheet. The High Court also mandated that the trial proceed on an expedited, time-bound schedule.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, legal counsel representing the Maharashtra government informed the Supreme Court that the state also intends to file a petition contesting the High Court’s decision to grant bail to the accused. The bench has scheduled the next hearing in the case for September 7.
Background of the Incident
The criminal case arose from an altercation on July 6 at Shastri Nagar Hospital, a municipal medical facility in Thane district. Mhatre and several associates gathered at the premises following allegations by family members of a pregnant patient that hospital staff had delayed her medical care.
An argument over the treatment timeline escalated into an assault on duty doctors, generating widespread public outrage after video recordings of the confrontation were circulated.
