Mumbai, July 31, 2026: The Bombay High Court on Friday said it would consider Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) corporator Ramesh Mhatre's release from custody only after assessing the progress of the police investigation into the alleged assault on doctors at a municipal hospital in Dombivli. The police told the court they would expedite the probe and complete it within two weeks.
A Bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad posted the matter for August 6 after the state informed the court that several crucial steps in the investigation, including voice sample collection, an identification parade and the recording of witnesses' statements, were yet to be completed.
Court Seeks Investigation Update
“We will keep it next week. Then address whether he should be released before the investigation is over,” the Bench said.
Advocate General Milind Sathe told the court that statements of 17 additional witnesses had been recorded and only 10 remained. He said voice samples of the accused would be collected on August 3, an identification parade would be conducted on August 4, and videos seized during the investigation would be sent for forensic analysis.
“The entire exercise is likely to be completed in two weeks,” Sathe submitted.
Doctors Seek Witness Protection
Senior advocate S.U. Kamdar, appearing for the Indian Medical Association (IMA), opposed Mhatre's release, claiming witnesses were being pressured.
“Till the investigation is over, he should not be released. There are instances where witnesses are being pressurised,” Kamdar argued.
Amicus curiae Ashok Mundargi also urged the court to keep Mhatre in custody, pointing out that police had initially failed to record statements of six persons. He said doctors who were assaulted and other witnesses should be protected and their statements recorded promptly.
Defence Opposes Continued Custody
Appearing for Mhatre, senior advocate Aabad Ponda argued that the investigation was now “foolproof” as the police had CCTV footage, transcripts and other evidence. He contended that there was no material linking Mhatre to the alleged threats received by witnesses while he remained in custody.
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The court directed the state to provide adequate police protection to doctors and victims travelling to Kalyan for the investigation. It also noted that the municipal corporation had not accepted the resignations of two doctors who allegedly quit out of fear following the July 6 assault at Shastri Nagar Municipal Hospital.
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