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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.

Public funds up in smoke

Ambernath: Despite spending over 1.32 crore on the construction of an eco-friendly crematorium in Ambernath, the facility remains non-operational even after more than a year of completion. Citizens continue to use the old system and are being forced to pay for cremation services that are officially supposed to be free sparking serious public anger and raising questions over mismanagement and possible corruption.


Local resident Vikas Ingle, while speaking to The Perfect Voice, revealed a shocking experience. “My sister-in-law passed away on June 1, and when we went for her cremation, staff at the crematorium openly demanded money. I was told services are free, but I had to pay, and I even have the receipt. The new facility is not operational, and the quality of construction is extremely poor. It clearly suggests a nexus between officials and contractors,” he alleged. Ingle further demanded strict action against those responsible and urged the authorities to open the new crematorium to the public at the earliest.


Ambernath Municipal Council's Chief Officer Umakant Gaikwad claimed that the new eco-friendly cremation facility is fully functional and free for public use. However, this statement was directly contradicted by the Health Officer Suhas Sawant, who admitted that only one unclaimed body had been cremated during a trial run. He added that operational responsibility still needs to be handed over to a managing agency. Sawant also noted that critical infrastructure such as flooring, construction of platforms, and protective roofing to prevent water ingress is still incomplete.


These conflicting statements have fueled further frustration among residents, highlighting the lack of coordination within the municipal administration. More importantly, it points to possible misuse of public funds, especially since the work order issued on 5/10/2023, stipulated that the project be completed within 90 days. Yet, nearly 18 months later, the facility remains incomplete and unusable.


The delay in launching the eco-friendly cremation system is not only seen as a serious administrative lapse but also as a moral failure, given the sensitive nature of the service one that deals with the final rites of the deceased. Citizens are demanding accountability, transparency, and swift completion of the project to prevent further emotional and financial burden on grieving families.

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