top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

YouTuber challenges FIR, LoC in HC

Mumbai : The Bombay High Court issued notice to the state government on a petition filed by UK-based medico and YouTuber, Dr. Sangram Patil, seeking to quash a Mumbai Police FIR and revoking a Look Out Circular in a criminal case lodged against him, on Thursday.   Justice Ashwin D. Bhobe, who heard the matter with preliminary submissions from both sides, sought a response from the state government and posted the matter for Feb. 4.   Maharashtra Advocate-General Milind Sathe informed the court...

YouTuber challenges FIR, LoC in HC

Mumbai : The Bombay High Court issued notice to the state government on a petition filed by UK-based medico and YouTuber, Dr. Sangram Patil, seeking to quash a Mumbai Police FIR and revoking a Look Out Circular in a criminal case lodged against him, on Thursday.   Justice Ashwin D. Bhobe, who heard the matter with preliminary submissions from both sides, sought a response from the state government and posted the matter for Feb. 4.   Maharashtra Advocate-General Milind Sathe informed the court that the state would file its reply within a week in the matter.   Indian-origin Dr. Patil, hailing from Jalgaon, is facing a criminal case here for posting allegedly objectionable content involving Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on social media.   After his posts on a FB page, ‘Shehar Vikas Aghadi’, a Mumbai BJP media cell functionary lodged a criminal complaint following which the NM Joshi Marg Police registered a FIR (Dec. 18, 2025) and subsequently issued a LoC against Dr. Patil, restricting his travels.   The complainant Nikhil Bhamre filed the complaint in December 2025, contending that Dr. Patil on Dec. 14 posted offensive content intended to spread ‘disinformation and falsehoods’ about the BJP and its leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.   Among others, the police invoked BNSS Sec. 353(2) that attracts a 3-year jail term for publishing or circulating statements or rumours through electronic media with intent to promote enmity or hatred between communities.   Based on the FIR, Dr. Patil was detained and questioned for 15 hours when he arrived with his wife from London at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Jan. 10), and again prevented from returning to Manchester, UK on Jan. 19 in view of the ongoing investigations.   On Wednesday (Jan. 21) Dr. Patil recorded his statement before the Mumbai Police and now he has moved the high court. Besides seeking quashing of the FIR and the LoC, he has sought removal of his name from the database imposing restrictions on his international travels.   Through his Senior Advocate Sudeep Pasbola, the medico has sought interim relief in the form of a stay on further probe by Crime Branch-III and coercive action, restraint on filing any charge-sheet during the pendency of the petition and permission to go back to the UK.   Pasbola submitted to the court that Dr. Patil had voluntarily travelled from the UK to India and was unaware of the FIR when he landed here. Sathe argued that Patil had appeared in connection with other posts and was not fully cooperating with the investigators.

BJP keeps MLA Dhas waiting

Updated: Mar 3, 2025

BJP

Mumbai: The BJP has kept its MLA Suresh Dhas waiting while appointing MLA Namita Mundata on the legislature committee to inspect charity hospitals.


Legislature committees have a major role to play in parliamentary democracy. However, during the MVA rule most of the committees were never constituted. On this backdrop, the Mahayuti government has taken lead in constituting the committees. While the BJP has named its MLAs and MLCs on the 11 committees that came to them, the Shiv Sena and the NCP who got 6 and 5 committees respectively are yet to announce the names. While political circles are abuzz with deliberations in hushed up voices over who has been favoured by the party leadership and who has fallen out of favour, it appears that these appointments are likely to be the next clash point within the Mahayuti.


In case of the BJP, a committee comprising of CM Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, working president Ravindra Chavan, Randhir Savarkar and others has announced the appointments.


Looking at the names of MLAs who have been appointed on the committees, it is clear that the senior MLAs who couldn’t have been accommodated as junior ministers in the state government have been pacified with appointments on the committees. However, it is also being said that while the appointments have been made to pacify MLAs, they actually might lead to more unrest within the parties constituting Mahayuti.


The Maharashtra legislature has a total 35 committees. These committees act as the watchdogs of the democracy.


Of the appointments announced by the BJP, the appointment of Namita Mundada is particularly being debated. While Mundata is considered to be close to Pankaja Munde, it is being said that Dhas wasn’t considered for the appointment due to his vitriolic campaign against Dhananjay Munde in the Massajog sarpanch murder case. Mundada had even replaced Dhas in the district planning committees earlier. Hence, the appointment now is also likely to irk Dhas supporters.


During MVA rule and even during Mahayuti under Eknath Shinde only a select 4-5 committees were operational. Most of the other committees were not formed at all as most of the MLAs were facing disqualification pleas against them.

Comments


bottom of page