On Tuesday, 14 July 2026, the Magistrate court in Kalyan delivered an order granting bail to Ramesh Ramchandra Mhatre, a corporator representing the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction in Dombivli. The bail was granted by Judge KS Katkade after the accused furnished a surety of Rs 50,000. Advocate Mujahid Qazi appeared on behalf of the corporator during the proceedings.
The case stems from an incident reported on 6 July 2026, when Mhatre, accompanied by several associates, allegedly entered a civic hospital in Dombivli and assaulted a female and a male doctor. According to the allegations, the associates physically attacked the male doctor, and a video of the assault circulated widely on social media. Following the assault, both doctors resigned from their positions at the hospital.
The alleged trigger for the confrontation was a complaint made by a family to Mhatre concerning the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. The family claimed that hospital staff had directed them to transfer their newborn to another facility because the NICU ward was fully occupied and lacked available beds. It is asserted that, in response to this complaint, Mhatre and his associates proceeded to the hospital and assaulted the doctors.
After the incident, public reaction on social media intensified. On 8 July 2026, Mhatre was arrested. Due to a reported health condition, he was produced before the court virtually on that date. Subsequently, on 10 July 2026, amid heightened police presence, he was produced physically before the Magistrate court. At that hearing, the court remanded him to police custody for three days, after which he was transferred to judicial custody.
The bail application was heard after the period of judicial custody. In granting bail, Judge KS Katkade noted the surety offered by the accused and took into account the health condition that had previously necessitated a virtual appearance. The court exercised its discretion under Section 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which governs bail in non‑bailable offences, and determined that the conditions imposed were sufficient to ensure the accused’s presence during trial while addressing the concerns raised by the prosecution.
The order, which is awaited in its detailed copy, specifies that the bail is conditional upon the furnishing of the surety and the accused’s cooperation with the investigation. The court directed that Mhatre shall not tamper with evidence or influence witnesses, and that he shall appear before the court as and when required.
Legal observers note that the decision reflects the balancing act courts undertake between the liberty of the accused and the interests of justice, particularly in cases attracting significant public attention. The imposition of a monetary surety, coupled with the requirement to attend all proceedings, aims to mitigate any risk of absconding while respecting the accused’s right to bail pending trial.
The case is titled Ramesh Ramchandra Mhatre versus State of Maharashtra. Further developments will depend on the completion of the investigation and the framing of charges by the prosecution. The matter remains sub judice, and any subsequent orders will be issued by the same Magistrate court in Kalyan.