Dombivli Doctor Assault Case: Kalyan Court Grants Bail to Shiv Sena Corporator Ramesh Mhatre on a Rs 50,000 Bond

The Kalyan Court on Tuesday granted bail to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, the prime accused in the recent assault of medical staff at a civic hospital in Dombivli. The court ordered Mhatre to submit a cash bail bond of ₹50,000 to secure his release.

The development comes just days after Mhatre's arrest for his alleged involvement in attacking doctors and nurses at Dombivli's Shastri Nagar Hospital. In his bail plea, the corporator contended that he held no personal grudge against the medical professional and was simply "helping citizens in his capacity as a public representative."

Legal Arguments and Court Proceedings

On Monday, Mhatre had been remanded to judicial custody following the expiry of his initial police custody. His counsel immediately moved a bail application, which came up for a hearing on Tuesday. During the proceedings, the police strongly opposed the bail plea. The prosecution pointed to Mhatre's past record, arguing that several criminal cases had been registered against him previously, and demanded that his application be rejected. However, the defence countered that Mhatre had either been acquitted or the proceedings had been quashed in almost all the earlier cases cited by the police, leaving only one criminal case currently pending against him.

Detailing the courtroom outcome, his lawyer, MK Qazi, stated:

"We had filed a bail application for Ramesh Mhatre. Following the filing, the Investigating Officer (IO) and the Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) submitted their responses today. We then presented detailed arguments. During the proceedings, the APP and the IO raised numerous objections regarding various points that emerged; we addressed all those objections in our arguments. After hearing the arguments, the Honourable Court granted bail to Ramesh Mhatre."

Escalation and medical backlash

According to the police, the incident unfolded when Mhatre and his aides allegedly attacked two doctors and other hospital staff after a family was advised to transfer a newborn baby to another medical facility.

The assault sparked severe public outrage and triggered immense pressure from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which warned of shutting down local clinics and hospitals if prompt action was not taken. In response, the police registered a case against Mhatre and five others. Mhatre was arrested on July 8, while three of his associates were apprehended a day prior.
 

Following his arrest, Mhatre complained of chest pain and was admitted to the Thane District Civil Hospital. While the police sought permission to produce him via video conference, Judicial Magistrate First Class K S Katkade at Kalyan rejected the request, directing that he be produced in person. Consequently, Mhatre was brought to court from the hospital under heavy security.

After hearing both sides initially, the court had remanded Mhatre and the three co-accused to police custody until July 13. The four accused, along with a woman supporter, face multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including unlawful assembly, rioting, voluntary causing hurt, criminal intimidation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty.

In the wake of the incident, the two doctors who were allegedly assaulted by Mhatre have submitted their resignations.