NEW DELHI: Warning that attacks on the medical fraternity are “going from bad to worse”, the Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, accused of assaulting doctors at a Thane hospital, on a plea filed by the Maharashtra government challenging his bail.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to Mhatre and sought his reply within three weeks.
“These people don't deserve to roam on streets. Things are going from bad to worse. There was another incident yesterday in Palghar. Same group of people. Again assaulting doctors. A message should go, and it should be a deterrent for others in society,” the bench observed.
The remarks came while hearing pleas, including one filed by Mhatre challenging the Bombay High Court's orders imposing bail conditions. The Shiv Sena corporator was later allowed to withdraw his appeal.
The bench said such people should actually be detained, as the issue concerns both law and public order. It listed the matter for hearing on September 28 and said it intended to hear the state's plea seeking cancellation of Mhatre's bail.
The case relates to the alleged assault at Shastri Nagar Hospital in Thane, where doctors were allegedly assaulted following a dispute over the treatment of a pregnant woman.
After the incident triggered outrage, the trial court granted bail to Mhatre and others. The Bombay High Court, on July 18, stayed the bail, termed the order “perverse” and asked Mhatre to surrender before the police.
Later, on August 7, the High Court granted bail to Mhatre and ordered that the trial be fast-tracked and completed in a time-bound manner. It also granted bail to three other accused.
The Supreme Court had earlier said the High Court was fully justified in taking suo motu cognisance and staying the bail granted by the trial court. It had also observed that those attacking doctors did not deserve bail.
During Monday's hearing, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mhatre, said the Palghar incident did not involve the same group.
Hearing the submission, the bench said it meant people with the same ideology and asked how the assault inside the doctors' chambers could be justified.
Mhatre, a corporator of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, had challenged the conditions imposed by the High Court while granting bail, including the condition that he remain outside the state until the trial begins.
