The Bombay High Court on Saturday, 18 July cancelled the bail granted to Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) corporator Ramesh Mhatre in connection with the alleged assault on three doctors at a civic hospital in Dombivli, directing him to surrender before police by 5 pm on Sunday. The order came after a division bench took suo motu cognisance of the Magistrate's bail decision, which the court found deeply inadequate.

What the High Court Found

A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge expressed surprise that the Magistrate had granted bail to Mhatre and his four co-accused without adequately considering the accused's antecedents or the nature of the assault on the doctors. The bench observed that the Magistrate had 'virtually let go' of Mhatre without requiring him to appear at a police station or cooperate with investigators.

The court directed Mhatre to surrender at Dombivli police station by 5 pm on Sunday, 19 July. Acting Chief Justice Ghuge warned that if Mhatre fails to comply, 'the authorities will be at liberty to follow the due procedure for initiating steps for attaching his immovable properties.' The matter has been posted for the next hearing on 21 July.

The Assault Incident at Shastri Nagar Hospital

The alleged assault took place on 6 July at Shastri Nagar Hospital, operated by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Dombivli. According to hospital authorities, the dispute arose after two doctors — a man and a woman — advised the family of a newborn to transfer the infant to another facility, as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was full and the transfer was necessary to ensure appropriate medical care for the baby.

The family then contacted Mhatre, who arrived at the hospital with associates. A video of the incident showed him and his supporters in a heated argument with doctors and hospital staff. He allegedly approached a woman doctor from behind and struck her mobile phone out of her hand, and subsequently allegedly assaulted another doctor and other staff members. One doctor sustained injuries in the incident.

Mhatre's Version

Mhatre has denied assaulting the doctors and refused to apologise. Speaking to a television channel, he claimed he did not attack the woman doctor but merely pushed away her mobile phone because she was not paying attention. He also asserted that his intervention helped save the lives of a woman and her newborn, and stated he had nothing to regret.

Doctors' Strike and the Court's Appeal

The incident triggered a statewide doctors' strike called for 22 July by medical associations, protesting both the alleged assault on their colleagues and the bail initially granted to Mhatre. The Bombay High Court on Saturday appealed to the doctors' association to call off the strike in light of its intervention and the cancellation of Mhatre's bail.

The case has reignited concerns about the safety of healthcare workers in public hospitals and the accountability of elected representatives whose actions allegedly intimidate medical staff. With the next hearing set for 21 July, all eyes are on whether Mhatre surrenders as directed — and whether the broader question of elected officials' conduct in civic hospitals receives the judicial scrutiny it demands.