Netas need to be told assault on docs won't be tolerated: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Taking note of another instance of a Shiv Sena politician in Maharashtra assaulting doctors, Supreme Court Monday said the situation in the state had worsened and favoured strict action against politicians to send a message that such behaviour against a medical practitioner would not be tolerated.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said people indulging in violence against doctors should be arrested without any delay. "They do not deserve to roam around," the bench said while referring to the recent incident of Sena workers assaulting doctors and hospital staff in Palghar. SC made the observations while hearing the plea of Sena corporator Ramesh Sukrya Mhatre, who is accused of assaulting doctors at Dombivli in July. He had moved SC against stringent conditions imposed by HC on him while granting bail last month. Sensing the mood of the court, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi sought to withdraw the petition.The court allowed his plea for the withdrawal but before that, it expressed its concern over the growing number of incidents of doctors being attacked by politicians and said that it cannot be justified.Rohatgi said the group of people responsible for the assault in Palghar was different, but SC said they belonged to the same party. "Same ideology. How can this be justified that you go and assault them inside their chambers and beat them brutally? It's an issue of law and public order," the bench said. Mhatre was arrested in July for allegedly assaulting doctors and staff at a civic-run hospital in Dombivli on July 6.