Mumbai, Jul 31 (PTI) Police assured the Bombay High Court on Friday that it would fast-track and complete their probe within two weeks against Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, accused of assaulting doctors at a municipal hospital in Dombivli of Maharashtra’s Thane district.
The incident of assault had taken place on July 6 and Mhatre was arrested two days later. A magistrate’s court granted him bail on July 14, but four days later, the high court stayed the same taking suo motu cognisance of the matter. As per the HC’s direction, he surrendered before the authorities, and is currently in judicial custody.
His counsel Aabad Ponda urged the court to consider releasing him from jail with strict conditions imposed on him and that he was also willing to stay out of Maharashtra until the probe is complete.
Senior counsels Ashok Mundargi, appointed to assist the court, and S U Kamdar, appearing for the Indian Medical Association, opposed this and said Mhatre should not be released on bail until the probe is complete.
Advocate General Milind Sathe informed the bench that as per the court’s order passed last week, the probe has been taken over by a Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The statements of 17 persons have been recorded, apart from the nine recorded earlier, he said, adding that the statements of 10 more witnesses are pending.
“The voice samples of the accused persons have to be collected and also their test identification parade would be done by next week,” Sathe said.
The police are trying to fast-track the probe and complete the same within two weeks, he added.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad then said it would hear the matter further on August 6 when it would consider Mhatre’s plea to be released on bail.
The corporator and his aides were arrested for allegedly assaulting two doctors and nurses at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC)-run Shastri Nagar Hospital on the night of July 6 after a family was advised to shift a newborn to another facility.
The assault sparked widespread outrage after a video went viral. PTI SP NP
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