Shiv Sena corporator pleads not guilty in assault-on-doctors case, to face trial

A magistrate's court in Maharashtra's Kalyan framed charges against Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre on Friday after he pleaded not guilty to assaulting doctors at a Dombivli hospital earlier this year.

Charges have also been framed against four other accused in the case. During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Salsingikar made brief arguments on the incident that led to the prosecution of the accused. Lawyers representing the accused also made their submissions.

The magistrate then asked all five accused, who were in the dock, whether they pleaded guilty or not guilty. All five pleaded not guilty and will now face trial.

Four of the accused, including Mhatre, are out on bail. Sadhana Karande, the mother of the pregnant woman at the centre of the incident, remains in custody.

The five accused have been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to assault and causing hurt, assaulting or obstructing a public servant, unlawful assembly and rioting, common intention, criminal intimidation, intentional insult, and offences against the dignity or modesty of a woman.

They have also been booked under Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act and Sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act for allegedly violating orders imposed to maintain public order.

On July 6, Mhatre, a corporator from the Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde faction, and his aides allegedly assaulted on-duty medical professionals at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC)-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli, Thane district.

CCTV footage of the alleged assault went viral, triggering protests.

According to the accused, at around 4.30 pm on July 6, a nine-month-pregnant woman was taken to the Shastri Nagar civic hospital in Dombivli by her family members.

The woman and her family repeatedly requested doctors and hospital staff to attend to her. However, they alleged that she was left waiting on a stretcher in severe pain for nearly three hours without receiving medical treatment, despite beds being available in the maternity ward.

The doctors, however, asked that she be shifted to Sion Hospital in Mumbai. Mhatre claimed that a red alert had been issued because of inclement weather conditions that day.

As the woman's condition worsened, her relatives contacted Mhatre, the elected corporator of their ward, and asked him to intervene so she could receive immediate medical attention.

Mhatre claims he went to the hospital to help the woman and requested the doctors to attend to her. However, he alleged that the doctors present at the hospital used derogatory and disrespectful language towards him. This led to a tense situation, according to his version of events.- EndsPublished By: Devika BhattacharyaPublished On: Sep 11, 2026 14:54 IST