Thane, Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, the prime accused in a doctor assault case, and three others have surrendered before the trial court in Thane district after the Supreme Court cancelled their bail.
The top court had noted that a doctor cannot be expected to exercise sound and independent judgment while working under the apprehension of physical violence, intimidation or coercion. Mhatre and the four other accused gathered at the hospital and assaulted the doctors after an argument over the alleged delay in the treatment. On September 28, the Supreme Court had cancelled the bail of Mhatre and his associates Ramesh Pawar, Pramod alias Prakash Nikam, and Akshay Sharad Karande, set aside a Bombay High Court order, and asked them to surrender before the trial court by October 5. The assault incident took place at Shastri Nagar Hospital on July 6 after family members of a pregnant woman accused hospital staff of delaying treatment.
Another accused, Sadhana Sanjay Karande, had already been remanded to judicial custody in Adharwadi Jail after a Kalyan court denied her bail earlier. The court remanded them to Adharwadi Jail in Kalyan after they surrendered on Sunday, officials said.
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 the four other accused in the case that had led to massive outrage. The high court imposed strict conditions on all and ordered them to stay outside Maharashtra until the chargesheet in the case is filed.
