Palghar doctor assault case: The Palghar Doctors Association has approached the Bombay High Court after alleged abuse, threats and physical assault involving doctors and hospital staff at a private hospital in Palghar during a dispute over treatment and diagnostic charges. The petition was placed before the court on Monday, with an urgent hearing scheduled for Tuesday, according to a report by Loksatta.
The matter was initially presented before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad. Following the appointment of Justice Ghuge as Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, the petition is expected to be heard by a bench comprising Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata, the report said.
Advocate Niranjan Mundargi, representing the doctors’ association, told the court that doctors had allegedly been abused and threatened. He also submitted that local police were being pressured to register a case against the doctors under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to the association’s account before the court. The court took note of the petition and listed it for hearing.
The dispute began after members of a Govinda team were admitted to Relief Hospital, located near a Shiv Sena office, following injuries sustained while attempting to break a dahi handi during the Govinda festival. One patient had injuries to the head and spine, and doctors advised a CT scan and further treatment, the report said.
The hospital reportedly informed the patient’s relatives that the treatment charges would be approximately Rs 20,000. Organisers paid Rs 10,000, but a dispute followed over the patient’s discharge and the need for a CT scan. The patient’s relatives and others questioned the requirement for the scan, while doctors said it was medically necessary.
According to a police complaint filed by the hospital administration, Shiv Sena office-bearers and supporters, including Kundan Sankhe, entered the hospital after the dispute escalated. They allegedly argued with doctors and staff, used abusive language and created a disturbance. 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 association’s petition places the alleged conduct at the centre of a wider legal dispute involving hospital safety, police action and the protection of medical staff while treating patients. The allegations have not been adjudicated by the court, and the individuals named in the police complaint have not been convicted in the matter.
The Bombay High Court’s scheduled hearing will determine the next judicial steps on the association’s petition and the issues raised regarding the alleged incident and police response.
