MUMBAI, July 23 -- The Bombay high court on Wednesday pulled up the Maharashtra Police for allegedly extending "VIP treatment" to Shiv Sena councillor Ramesh Mhatre, arrested for allegedly assaulting three doctors at a municipal hospital in Dombivli. "We want the name of the officer who, after arresting the accused, came up with this innovative idea of producing him through VC. We will call the Commissioner of Police, Thane, to court," a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad said. The court had on July 18 stayed a magistrate's order granting bail to Mhatre and three co-accused - Ramesh Pawar, Pramod Nikam and Akshay Karande - all of whom are accused of assaulting doctors and nurses at the Shastri Nagar Municipal Hospital on July 6. Mhatre surrendered on July 19, and all four remain in judicial custody. Mhatre, a councillor in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), and his aides were arrested for allegedly attacking doctors and nurses at the hospital following a dispute. Taking suo motu cognisance of the Kalyan court's July 14 bail order, the high court had earlier observed that granting bail was "unjustified", noting that 18 criminal cases had been registered against Mhatre over the past 36 years. On Wednesday, the bench expressed strong disapproval of the treatment extended to the accused. "We do not want a situation in this country where the police protect the accused instead of law-abiding citizens." Appearing for Mhatre, advocate Sana Raees Khan sought bail on medical grounds, saying the 73-year-old has multiple health issues and only one functioning kidney. The bench, however, remained unconvinced. "While he was brutally assaulting the doctors, he did not seem 73 but 25. The way he thrashed those doctors, including women, we are surprised they are alive today. You are a social worker - is your job to protect citizens or assault them?" the judges asked....