MUMBAI | September 8, 2026 — The Palghar Doctors Association has approached the Bombay High Court over an alleged incident of abuse, intimidation and assault involving medical staff at a private hospital in Palghar, with an urgent hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The association has told the court that local political office-bearers and supporters allegedly misbehaved with doctors and hospital employees during a dispute over treatment and diagnostic charges.
The petition was presented on Monday before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad, according to the report. The court took note of the petition and listed it for hearing on Tuesday. Because Justice Ghuge has since been appointed Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, the matter is expected to be heard by a bench comprising Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata.
Advocate Niranjan Mundargi, appearing for the doctors’ association, told the court that doctors had allegedly been abused and threatened. He also said the association claimed that pressure was being put on local police to register a case against the doctors under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The allegations have been presented as the association’s position in the petition and court proceedings.
The dispute began after members of a Govinda festival team were admitted to Relief Hospital, located near a Shiv Sena office, following injuries sustained during an attempt to break a dahi handi. One patient had injuries to the head and spine. Doctors reportedly advised a CT scan and further treatment, with the hospital stating that the treatment cost would be about Rs 20,000. Organisers paid Rs 10,000, after which a dispute arose over the patient’s discharge and the need for the scan.
According to the hospital administration’s police complaint, Shiv Sena office-bearers and supporters, including Kundan Sankhe, entered the hospital after the disagreement. They allegedly questioned the need for a CT scan, asking why the examination was required. Hospital authorities said doctors explained that the scan was medically necessary, but the situation escalated and the office-bearers allegedly abused doctors and employees. The complaint names Shiv Sena district chief Kundan Sankhe, city chief Rahul Gharat and Rohit Gavit, identified in the report as the son of an MLA, along with 17 people.
The report does not establish the final findings of the police investigation or the court’s view on the allegations. The immediate legal development is the doctors’ association’s petition and the urgent hearing before the High Court. The court is expected to consider the issues raised by the association when the matter comes up on Tuesday.
