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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.

Civil society flays ‘Urban Terrorism’ against comedian

Mumbai: Prominent citizens from different walks of life have strongly condemned the ‘urban terrorism’ tactics and vandalism by ruling party politicians targeting stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra.


“The Constitution of India guarantees every citizen’s Right to freedom of speech and opinion. No ‘law abiding’ citizen has the right to take the law in his / her own hands and indulge in vandalism. This is an act of Urban Terror,” they contended.


The statement has been signed and issued by: G. G. Parikh, Tushar Gandhi, Chitra Palekar, Darshan Mondkar, Faranaz Karabari, Feroze Mithiborwala, Guddi S L, Javed Anand, Dr. Kailash Gaikwad, Niyati, Ram Puniyani, Rajiv Shankar, Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay Award laureate) Sanjeev Chandolkar, Shubha Prabhu-Satam, Shilpa Parulekar, Sharad Kadam, Santosh Ambekar, Suvarnarekha Jadhav, Uttam Ghosh, Vikas Naiknavare, Yashodhan Paranjpe, and more.


Deploring the extremist tactics by leaders of the ruling MahaYuti alliance in Maharashtra, the statement said that “these people lack the intellectual ability to engage in dialogue or discussion with opposing views and opinions,” plus the mindset to appreciate humour and satire.


“We sympathise with their limitations and volunteer to educate them if they have the will. We urge the CM (Devendra Fadnavis) - who has been broadcasting his resolve to use bulldozers to ‘punish’ people he accuses of rioting - and is pushing through a draconian law to punish those he brands ‘Urban Naxals’ to act promptly vis-à-vis members of his ally (Shiv Sena) who are acting as ‘urban terrorists’, destroying private property, terrorising and intimidating honest, law abiding  citizens,” urged the signatories.


They denounced the Shiv Sena’s ‘terror tactics’ displaying their ‘bravery’ by vandalising a private hotel property used by Kamra to shoot one of his shows in which he referred to the betrayal by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde in his lust for power.


Urging the Mumbai Police Commissioner to crack down on those who have taken the laws in their hands, they reminded the Police of their oath ‘to serve the Constitution and protect citizens’ - not to obey and serve the government in power.


The eminents reiterated their solidarity with Kamra and decried the heinous efforts to smother his Constitutional rights and freedom of expression - which the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-Nationalist Congress Party (SP) also vociferously endorsed.


The plea came even as Mumbai  Police summoned Kamra, 36, following multiple complaints lodged after he recited a poem with ‘gaddar’ (traitor) jibes pointed at Shinde, without taking his name, but ignited a huge political fracas, and the Shiv Sena baying for the comedian’s scalp.

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