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.

Making records in Nanded

Nanded

For the devout and travel buffs, Nanded is the site of a beautiful Gurudwara and several sufi shrines but for political watchers, it’s the region that gave Maharashtra it’s first and, until now, only father-son duo to become the chief ministers of Maharashtra. Shankarrao Chavan served as the chief minister twice while his son Ashok Chavan was Maharashtra’s chief minister between 2008 and 2010. Shankarrao’s term as the CM coincided with the Emergency of 1975 and it was publicly known that the Maharashtra CM had to seek an appointment with Sanjay Gandhi to be able to meet the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.


In his illustrious career, Shankarrao was elected to the Rajya Sabha and served as union minister for home, defence and finance. He’s credited with setting up several educational institutes in Nanded from where his political career flourished. With his political influence and educational empire, the Chavan family wielded considerable clout over the politics of the region and were responsible for spreading the Congress party in this part of Marathwada.


His son Ashok followed him into the Congress and served as minister in various departments including the CM’s post. His party forced him to resign in 2010 over corruption charges for his alleged role in the Adarsh Housing Society controversy.


The electorate remained unaffected by the allegations and Chavan won the 2014 general elections but lost the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to a BJP candidate. In a surprise turn of events, Chavan joined the BJP in February 2024 allegedly on the heels of an impending inquiry against him in the Adarsh matter.


The Chavan family is deeply entrenched in public life. Chavan’s wife Ameeta contested the 2014 legislative assembly elections from Bhokar when he vacated that seat after getting elected to the Lok Sabha.


His brother-in-law Bhaskarrao Bapurao Khatgaonkar Patil has been a three-time Member of Parliament and has also served in the Maharashtra legislative assembly.


The third generation of the Chavan family is now set to enter politics as Ashok’s daughter Shreejaya being given the candidature by the BJP for the coveted Bhokar seat which has been held by the Congress for several years since the 1950s.

Comments

bottom of page