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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.

Inside story on Shinde’s delayed toll tax waiver

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Shinde

Mumbai: While terming the decision to exempt light motor vehicles from toll tax at Mumbai Entry Points (MEP) Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described the scheme as “Mukhya Mantri Ladka Pravasi Yojana” (CM favourite traveller scheme). He also said that this was a long-standing demand and as an MLA he had even staged demonstrations to push for the demand. He however fell short of telling the people what prevented the government from making the decision earlier.


“There had been a long-standing demand to end the toll tax at all the five Mumbai Entry Points. The toll collection process leads to traffic snarls on these entry gates and leads to more pollution. Hence, abolition of toll had been in demand for a long time. As an MLA I too had staged demonstration and even moved court against the toll collection,” the CM told reporters.


“I am happy today that the decision we have made shall benefit lakhs of commuters that include people from middle class also. This shall save time and fuel and save the people from pollution. This shall help people not just from Mumbai and surrounding areas but from across the Maharashtra who come to Mumbai,” he said.


However, what he didn’t tell today was why did the decision took so long.


The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under Devendra Fadnavis had promised a “toll free” state in the party manifesto before the 2014 assembly elections. However, after the government was formed, PWD – the department that looks after the collection of toll tax went to the Shiv Sena. Incidentally, Eknath Shinde was given charge of the PWD department back then. So, it was much under his control to waive off the toll. However, it took him almost 10 years and the decision was made only in the last few days of his government.


Why would he have done so?

According to a former official with the Maharashtra Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) Shinde had put up a proposal of scrapping the toll tax in the first meeting itself. However, then Managing Director of MSRDC Radheshyam Mopalwar had advised Shinde against abolition of toll tax. “It will be akin to cutting the branch of the tree in the Sheikh Chilli story,” Mopalwar whispered in Shinde’s ears.

The official had contended that toll is the one of the plum sources of the income for the state government and keeping such sources in hand yields much power in the government. Shinde obeyed the advice and didn’t do much on the front except doing away with some of the toll plazas on non-prime routes across the state.


According to Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways, the income from tolls for Maharashtra is expected to be around Rs 1.40 lakh crore by the end of 2024. One can imagine the political power this much of money can buy.

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