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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.

Now, Kamra mocks ‘Viksit Bharat’

Mumbai: Undaunted by protests and clamour to jail him from the ruling ally Shiv Sena, standup comedian Kunal Kamra hit back with a new video – this time targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the state and centre, as well as right-wing outfits.


The new parody song is “Hum honge kangaal ek din…” which Kamra presented as the new Anthem of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India), comes with a higher dose of satire than the one ostensibly targeting Shiv Sena’s Deputy CM Eknath Shinde two days ago which sparked a nationwide furore.


Without batting an eyelid, Kamra sings it to the accompaniment of a guitar - and peals of audience laughter - and dares the powers-that-be which have summoned him for a probe in Mumbai.


The number has barbs and stings, like: ‘Mann me andhvishwas, Desh ka satyanash’; ‘Honge nange charo aur’, ‘Karenge dange charo or’, ‘Police ke pange charo aur’; ‘Man me Nathuram, Harkate Asaram’; “Hoga gai ka prachar', 'Leke haathon me hathiyar’; ‘Hoga Sangh ka shishtachar', 'Janata berozgar', 'Garibi ki kagaar’; and closing with the crescendo ‘Hum honge kangal ek din...’.


For effect and views, Kamra has strategically interspersed it with videos of the vociferous protests against him, the raw violence perpetrated by Shiv Sena activists at the Hotel Unicontinental (Khar), the naked vandalism, his effigies being burnt at several places.


Not surprisingly, in barely a couple of hours (till 5.30 pm), Kamra’s new video got more than five-lakh eyeballs, 30K-plus likes, and around 2K shares.


The shooting venue or date of the latest video is unclear since rowdy Shiv Sainiks had vandalized The Habitat Comedy Club in the hotel and later a civic squad came and razed certain alleged unauthorized portions there.


Buoyed by support and sympathy from all over the country and outside, the new video virtually mocks and cocks a snook at the Mahayuti allies or the police which have called for a 'grilling' after his tight ‘roasting’ of Shinde.


Currently in Puducherry, Kamra has assured full cooperation and sought a week’s time from the Mumbai Police to come and record his statement in the issue on the boil for three days now.


The Shiv Sena activists continued to slap dire warnings to Kamra and how they would deal with him ‘Sena-style’ if he refused to apologize to Shinde.

Another FIR was registered against Kamra in Dombivli police station on Monday.


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