The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre on a petition filed by the state government challenging his bail in connection with the alleged assault on doctors at a hospital in Thane.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed Mhatre to submit his reply within three weeks. The matter has been scheduled for its next hearing on September 28.
Judicial Call for Deterrence
During the proceedings, the bench observed that individuals accused of attacking medical professionals do not deserve to walk the streets or receive bail. Noting that circumstances were deteriorating, the judges pointed to a separate incident reported a day earlier in Palghar involving the same group assaulting doctors. The bench stressed that the court must send a firm message to ensure deterrence across society.
Mhatre, a corporator in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, had previously filed an appeal before the top court contesting the conditions imposed on his bail by the Bombay High Court. The apex court permitted him to withdraw that petition. The Supreme Court had earlier observed that the High Court was entirely justified in taking suo motu cognisance to stay the initial bail granted to Mhatre by a trial court.
Sequence of the Investigation and Bail Orders
The charges stem from an incident on July 6 at Shastri Nagar Hospital, where Mhatre and several associates allegedly gathered and assaulted medical staff following an argument over an alleged delay in treating a pregnant patient. The altercation provoked widespread public outrage.
A local court in Thane initially granted bail to Mhatre on July 14. However, on July 18, the Bombay High Court stayed that decision, describing the lower court’s ruling as perverse and directing Mhatre to surrender to the police.
On August 7, the High Court granted bail to Mhatre alongside three other co-accused, while mandating that the trial be fast-tracked and concluded within a specific timeframe. The High Court also imposed strict stipulations, including an order barring the accused from entering Maharashtra until investigators submit the chargesheet.
