Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre surrendered before the police on Sunday, a day after the Bombay High Court cancelled his bail in the Dombivli hospital assault case and directed him to surrender by 5 pm.
The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the bail granted to Mhatre and four other accused by a Kalyan court. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad heard the matter on Saturday and set aside the bail orders.
The court observed that the Magistrate Court had failed to adequately consider Mhatre's criminal history while granting him bail.
According to the High Court, Mhatre has been named in 18 criminal cases, including serious offences such as murder and attempted murder. The bench held that the lower court should not have overlooked his involvement in multiple serious criminal cases while deciding his bail application.
The High Court also took note of the decision by doctors across Maharashtra to stage a strike on July 22 in protest against the assault. After cancelling Mhatre's bail, the bench appealed to the medical fraternity to reconsider the proposed strike, urging them to keep in mind their humanitarian responsibilities and the potential impact on patients.
Mhatre was arrested on July 9 in connection with the assault on doctors and hospital staff at the KDMC-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli. On July 14, a Kalyan court had granted him bail on a cash bond of Rs 50,000 after he and three of his associates were remanded to judicial custody.
The case relates to an incident that took place on the night of July 6, when Mhatre and his associates allegedly assaulted two doctors and several hospital staff members after the family of a newborn was advised to shift the infant to another hospital due to a shortage of NICU beds.
A video of the incident, which later went viral on social media, allegedly showed Mhatre slapping and punching doctor Vaibhav Salunkhe and striking resident medical officer Dr Srishti Baviskar on her hand, triggering widespread public outrage.
Following criticism and pressure from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), police registered a case against Mhatre and five others under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of assaulting a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and rioting.
The assault prompted protests by doctors and healthcare workers across the Kalyan-Dombivli region, disrupting medical services at several government and private hospitals as healthcare professionals demanded stronger security measures and strict legal action against those responsible.
