Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who is accused of assaulting doctors and other staff at a Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC)-run hospital in Dombivli.
According to a report, the Supreme Court directed Mhatre to surrender within three days and observed that hospital staff serve people and attacking them was unacceptable.
“The message should go loud and clear that the medical fraternity cannot be touched,” a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said.
Defence cites ongoing trial
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Mhatre, said two witnesses had already been examined. He said the complainant, a woman doctor, was scheduled to be examined on Oct 3 and that the trial had begun without any obstruction.
During the hearing, the bench noted that nearly 19 criminal cases, including the present case, had been registered against Mhatre. Dave, however, argued that the cases were politically motivated and that Mhatre had been acquitted in 18 of them.
High Court had granted bail
The Bombay High Court had granted bail to Mhatre on Aug 7 and directed that the trial be fast-tracked and completed within a stipulated period.
The High Court had also granted bail to four others in the case. The incident had triggered outrage among hospital staff after Mhatre and others allegedly assaulted staff, including doctors, at the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital.
Incident followed treatment dispute
The incident took place on July 6 after family members of a pregnant woman allegedly accused hospital staff of delaying her treatment.
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