Mumbai, July 18, 2026: In a special sitting on Saturday, the Bombay High Court stayed the bail granted by a Kalyan magistrate court to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who was arrested for allegedly leading an assault on three doctors, including a woman doctor, at a municipal hospital in Dombivli.
The court directed Mhatre to surrender before the Vishnu Nagar Police Station by 5 pm on Sunday and ordered that he be kept in magisterial custody. The court held that the magistrate had failed to properly consider the gravity of the offence, the stage of investigation and the accused's criminal antecedents.
High Court Stays Bail
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad took suo motu cognisance of media reports on the bail order, observing that the incident had serious implications for the safety of medical professionals.
“Considering the gravity and seriousness of the issue and the perversity noticed in the impugned orders, both the orders stand stayed and shall be kept in abeyance until further hearing,” the bench said.
The High Court also stayed the bail granted to Mhatre's three co-accused. It warned that if Mhatre failed to surrender or could not be traced, the authorities would be free to initiate legal steps, including attachment of his immovable properties.
The bench observed that the magistrate overlooked the fact that Mhatre had not been properly interrogated after his initial statement and that the investigation was still at an early stage.
It noted that police had informed the court they wished to interrogate him further and that under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, an accused can be taken into custody in different spells during the first 40 days of investigation.
Court Questions Bail Order
The judges also found the bail conditions inadequate, noting that Mhatre had not been directed to report to the police station or cooperate with the investigation. “The order has virtually let go the accused,” the court remarked.
Referring to Mhatre's antecedents, the bench noted that 18 criminal cases had been registered against him over the past 36 years, including cases involving serious offences like murder. The trial court had failed to meaningfully consider them while granting bail, it said.
The judges also observed that police had opposed bail, stating that he had a history of assaulting people, including government employees.
The court said the incident was particularly grave because a woman doctor was among those assaulted. “The present incident is more grave because a lady doctor was also assaulted,” the bench observed, adding that if she had resigned out of fear, the municipal hospital should not accept her resignation.
The bench questioned why the police did not appeal against the bail order. Advocate General Milind Sathe, appearing for the government, stated that the order of the trial court was made available on the night of July 17.
Doctors' Assault Case
The alleged assault took place on July 6 at the Municipal Shastri Nagar Hospital after doctors advised the family of a pregnant woman to shift a newborn to another hospital as all Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) beds were occupied.
According to the prosecution, the patient's relatives contacted Mhatre, who allegedly entered the hospital with his associates and assaulted a woman doctor and two male doctors.
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The court noted that the release of the accused had caused widespread outrage among the medical fraternity, leading doctors in government and civic hospitals to announce protests and an indefinite strike.
While staying the bail, the bench appealed to doctors to reconsider the strike in the larger public interest. It also directed the Vishnu Nagar Police to preserve CCTV footage from July 7 to July 13 for future proceedings. The matter will be heard next on July 22.
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