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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.

Pankaja settles score with Dhananjay

Updated: Jan 10, 2025

Pankaja

Mumbai: Almost nine years ago, when Pankaja Munde was facing a challenge to come clean in the allegations of irregularities her cousin brother Dhananjay Munde was enjoying her struggle. Pankaja was minister for women and child welfare whereas Dhananjay was leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council. They were not on talking terms at that time. Dhananjay added fire to the fuel by raising the issue in the House creating more trouble for his sister.


The table is turned now. Dhananjay is facing the biggest political crisis as the Opposition has mounted pressure for his resignation in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case. He has established cordial relations with Pankaja after a gap of several years. However, the scars of his political attack on her remained, it seems. Pankaja, his colleague in the cabinet, did not back him in the controversy. On the contrary, she has insisted that Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay’s boss in the NCP, should clean the political environment in Beed, the Mundes’ native district.


Pankaja, the daughter of late Gopinath Munde, has succeeded in creating an impression that she has distanced herself from Dhananjay over the ongoing controversy. While interacting with the reporters on Tuesday she did not say anything against Dhananjay. However, she insisted that it was she who first demanded a SIT probe in the case and kept repeating CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ assurance that all the guilty shall be brought to book and no one shall be spared in the case. This is being interpreted as her distancing away from Dhananjay.


Dhananjay has had a hot-and-cold relationship with his younger cousin. He had defeated her in the 2019 Assembly election from Parli, Beed. The cousins had come together last year for Rakshabandhan after almost 12 years of estrangement.


Dhananjay (49) was initially groomed by his uncle. However, after Dhananjay raked up controversies over his high-handedness in Beed, the patriarch of the family started grooming his daughter Pankaja as his heir apparent. Irked Dhananjay started looking for options beyond his uncle and was encouraged by certain party leaders to stand up to his uncle.


In 2023, when Ajit managed to split the NCP, Dhananjay played a key role and became agriculture minister in the Mahayuti government where he drew flak for forcing the transfer of agriculture secretary who refused certain plans of his department, citing a loss for the exchequer.


Pankaja apparently struck a truce with Dhananjay last year and the cousin duo was seen together again.

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