Assault on doctors case: Sena corporator surrenders after HC cancels bail
Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre surrendered before police on Sunday, a day after the Bombay High Court cancelled his bail in the Dombivli hospital assault
Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre surrendered before police on Sunday, a day after the Bombay High Court cancelled his bail in the Dombivli hospital assault case and directed him to surrender by 5 pm today. The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the bail granted to Mhatre and four other accused by a Kalyan court. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad heard the matter on Saturday and cancelled their bail. Read Full Story The High Court observed that the Magistrate Court had failed to properly consider Mhatre's criminal antecedents while granting him bail. According to the court, Mhatre had been named in 18 criminal cases, including serious offences such as murder and attempt to murder.
The bench said the lower court should not have ignored his involvement in multiple serious criminal cases while deciding his bail plea. The High Court also took note of the decision by doctors across Maharashtra to go on strike on July 22 in protest against the assault. After cancelling Mhatre's bail, the bench appealed to the doctors to reconsider the proposed strike, keeping in mind their service to humanity and the potential impact on patients. Mhatre was arrested on July 9 in connection with the assault on doctors and hospital staff at the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli. A Kalyan court had granted him bail on July 14 on a cash bond of Rs 50,000 after he and three of his associates had been remanded to judicial custody.
The case stemmed from an incident on the night of July 6, when Mhatre and his aides allegedly assaulted two doctors and other hospital staff after the family of a newborn was advised to shift the infant to another medical facility because of a shortage of NICU beds. A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed Mhatre allegedly slapping and punching doctor Vaibhav Salunkhe and striking resident medical officer Dr Srishti Baviskar on her hand, triggering widespread outrage. Following public criticism and pressure from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), police registered a case against Mhatre and five others under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including assault on a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and rioting.
The assault had sparked protests by doctors and healthcare workers across the Kalyan-Dombivli region, affecting medical services at several civic and private hospitals as healthcare professionals demanded better security and strict action against those involved. Ends
The BriefWire