Thane Hospital Assault Case: Bombay HC Stays Bail Of Shiv Sena Corporator Ramesh Mhatre

The Bombay High Court, in a special sitting held on a Saturday, stayed the bail granted to Ramesh Mhatre, a sitting corporator from Shiv Sena, who was arrested for leading an assault on three doctors at a civic-run hospital in Thane district earlier this month.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad took suo motu cognisance of a Kalyan magistrate court's order that had granted Mhatre bail on a bond of ₹50,000, days after he was remanded to judicial custody on July 13. The bench acted swiftly after doctors across Maharashtra announced they would go on strike from July 22 in protest against the bail order, along with the release of Mhatre's four associates who were also booked in the case.

According to the FIR, the incident traces back to a dispute over shifting a pregnant woman to another hospital, after doctors at the facility said NICU beds were unavailable. Mhatre allegedly led a group that assaulted the treating doctors, triggering outrage from the medical fraternity and warnings of a shutdown by the Indian Medical Association.

The High Court was sharply critical of how the magistrate had dealt with the matter. It noted that Mhatre had 18 criminal cases registered against him over the past 36 years, and that he had been acquitted in only 17 of them, meaning his antecedents could not have been overlooked. "In a case where accused led four more persons and attacked three doctors in a corporation hospital, showing his fury against the doctors and severely beating them, we think the Magistrate has taken it lightly and has not even considered Mhatre's antecedents," the bench recorded.

The Court also flagged a procedural lapse, observing that Mhatre had not even been interrogated after his first statement was recorded. It noted that police wanted to question him further, but the magistrate's order carried no direction requiring him to mark his presence at the police station or cooperate with the investigation. "No condition is imposed on him by which his presence could be monitored by the probe agency," the bench said, adding that the order deserved to be "stayed and kept in abeyance until further orders."

Mhatre has now been directed to surrender at the Dombivli police station before 5 PM on July 19. The Court made clear that if he fails to surrender or is not reachable, authorities may initiate proceedings to attach his immovable properties. The bail granted to his four co-accused was cancelled as well.

While staying the bail, the judges made a direct appeal to the medical community, urging doctors not to go ahead with their planned strike. "We would appeal all the doctors in government and civic hospitals to reconsider their decision of commencing the strike on July 22 in the larger interest of the society and considering their service to mankind," ACJ Ghuge said.

Before the magistrate, Mhatre had argued that he had been acquitted or discharged in most of the cases against him, that only one matter was pending, and had also cited health concerns, including having a single kidney. Those submissions did not find favour with the High Court, which felt the seriousness of the assault and its impact on doctors serving in State and civic hospitals outweighed such considerations at this stage.

Sr. Adv. Ashok Mundargi along with Advocate Niranjan Mundargi assisted the Court as amicus curiae, while Advocate General Milind Sathe, along with Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray represented the State.

The suo motu case will be heard again on Tuesday, July 21.

Case Title: High Court on its own motion v. Ramesh Sukrya Mhatre & Ors.

Date of Hearing: July 18, 2026

Bench: Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad