Shiv Sena Corporator Gets Bail In Doctor Assault Case; Exiled Until Chargesheet
Condemning the incident, ACJ Ghuge observed, “The rule of democracy is elected representatives are by the people and for the people.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and three associates in connection with the July 6 assault on three doctors at Shastri Nagar Hospital. The confrontation at the Kalyan-Dombivili Municipal Corporation (KDMC) hospital followed an argument over an alleged delayed treatment for a pregnant woman.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad imposed strict conditions, requiring Mhatre and his co-accused to remain outside Maharashtra until the chargesheet is filed — expected within 15 days — and to report three times a week to a local police station in their place of residence.
Condemning the incident, ACJ Ghuge observed, “The rule of democracy is elected representatives are by the people and for the people. But if any elected representative assaults voters, such a situation will dent the very fabric of democracy.”
Previously, the High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the case on July 18, calling a lower court’s decision to grant bail “perverse” given Mhatre’s history of 18 past assault cases.
To ensure safety and fair proceedings, the Court ordered the State to provide ample police protection to the victimised doctors and directed the Kalyan-Dombivili Municipal Corporation to withhold any disciplinary action for their post-incident absence.
Furthermore, the bench directed a fast-track trial and ordered the State Government to appoint a permanent Special Public Prosecutor as early as possible. The judges have made it clear that such a prosecutor will not be changed till the trial is completed.
The alleged assault took place on July 6 at Shastri Nagar Hospital after Mhatre and the other accused gathered there following an argument over the alleged delay in treating a pregnant woman. Her family members had accused hospital staff of delaying treatment, following which the confrontation allegedly escalated into an assault on doctors.
