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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.

Skyward Leap

Mumbai’s airspace is set for a long-overdue transformation with the forthcoming inauguration of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), a facility whose promise has lingered on planning boards and construction sites for over a decade. At last, India’s financial capital will have a second gateway capable of rivalling some of Asia’s best airports.


The first phase of NMIA is designed to handle 20 million passengers annually, alongside 500,000 metric tonnes of cargo. This will relieve chronic congestion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which has long groaned under the weight of both domestic and international flights. By 2032, when all five planned phases are complete, NMIA will boast the capacity for 90 million passengers and 3.2 million metric tonnes of cargo, cementing its role as a central hub in India’s aviation network.


Travelers will notice the airport’s emphasis on seamless experience. Passengers from Ahmedabad, Surat, or Hyderabad connecting to international flights will now clear immigration at NMIA itself, much as they would in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi or Singapore Changi. Officials have stressed that the model prioritises the ‘AtmaNirbharta’ (self-reliance) shibboleth. Indian carriers, not foreign airlines, will dominate these routes, ensuring that the airport serves as a launchpad for domestic carriers rather than a feeder for global hubs.


The design of Terminal 1 reflects both ambition and sensibility. Inspired by the lotus, it allows abundant natural light and incorporates sustainable construction practices. A fast baggage system, automated check-in kiosks, and modern aesthetics underline that this is not merely an expansion of capacity but an upgrade in passenger experience. By the time NMIA reaches Phase 5, it will house four more terminals capable of handling an additional 70 million passengers per year, an audacious bet on India’s continued aviation growth.


The airport is, in a sense, a symbol of persistence and policy continuity. For years, NMIA was delayed by land disputes, regulatory hurdles and coordination challenges between central and state authorities. Its inauguration marks not just a technical achievement but a lesson in the political will required to see megaprojects to fruition. The public-private partnership model led by Adani Airports has finally delivered what multiple administrations had promised but could not realise.


The government must now ensure that this momentum is not lost. NMIA’s success should be a clarion call to expedite other critical infrastructure projects in Mumbai, particularly the metro system. The final phase of Mumbai Metro Line 3, connecting Worli to Cuffe Parade, is expected to be inaugurated around the same time as NMIA. Both projects, once operational, could reshape urban mobility in India’s most congested metropolis, linking air and land transport in ways that have long been needed.


India’s cities have long struggled with bottlenecks in transport and logistics. A single airport does not make a metropolis. The next challenge for policymakers is to ensure that the city’s roads, railways and metro lines keep pace. Only then will Mumbai’s leap skyward be complete.

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