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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.

New Order

The wheel of Indian cricket turns with deliberate inevitability. 25-year-old Shubman Gill, fresh from his splendid helming in the long-form Test format, has now been appointed India’s one-day international (ODI) captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. The decision, taken jointly by Ajit Agarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, and Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, suggests a long-term plan designed to prepare India for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.


The announcement came ahead of India’s upcoming white-ball tour of Australia and marks a clear pivot towards youth and continuity. Gill is now India’s all-format leader in waiting.


Behind the decision lies a quiet revolution. The team of Gambhir and Agarkar - both strong-minded, occasionally combustible, but deeply purposeful - has introduced what one former BCCI official called an ‘Aussie culture’ to Indian cricket. This places the team above the cult of individuals. The days when the national side revolved around its twin stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are numbered. The selectors’ message is that India’s future belongs to a new breed, one schooled less in seniority than in sustained form, fitness and leadership potential for 2027.


While 37-year-old Rohit Sharma led the Indian side to the Champions Trophy win and came agonisingly close to World Cup glory, he has long been out of form. While Sharma’s disappointment is evident at the decision, the selectors are not in the business of nostalgia. Likewise, even if Kohli may survive a little longer, he must sense the direction of travel.


The philosophy of Agarkar and Gambhir reflects a long-overdue pragmatic shift from personality-driven cricket to a more institutional model. Much like Australia in the early 2000s, India is seeking to embed a culture where leadership is a process, not a pedestal. By investing in Gill, the board hopes to craft a player fluent in all formats, attuned to global rhythms, and capable of inspiring a new generation with the 2027 World Cup as a horizon.


Gill represents a different archetype from his predecessors. Polished, composed and technically refined, his rise has been steady rather than sensational. His performance during India’s recent tour of England was nothing short of historic. In the five-match Test series, he amassed 754 runs, making him the highest run-scorer of the series and the first Indian to surpass 700 runs in a Test series in England.


The move to make Gill as ODI captain reflects an awareness that the game’s future lies in balance and adaptability. With the calendar crammed by franchise cricket and bilateral series losing lustre, maintaining a motivated team has become harder than ever. In this shifting ecosystem, grooming a young, all-format captain like Gill is a necessary investment in India’s 2027 ambitions.


India’s cricketing past has often been defined by its reverence for experience. By prioritising long-term planning over fan sentiment, the Gambhir–Agarkar duo has shown rare courage in a landscape often dominated by celebrity.

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