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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.

The eternal joy of sharing a saree

Pune's ‘Aapalee’- The Saree Library is one of its kind that celebrates sarees by making them accessible to everyone

“Many women love sarees but don’t always have access to them or they find it inconvenient to wear them often. This thought was a trigger point to create Aapalee - The Saree Library — a space that celebrates sarees and makes them accessible to everyone,” says Pune based Pallavi Deshpande who at the age of 38 years, runs a business of renting out a wide range of sarees. Deshpande believes that women must wear sarees and enjoy the process without any hustle which seems difficult in today’s world in which everyone wants fast fashion and quick availability of resources.


Deshpande’s love for sarees started at home watching her mother and grandmother drape sarees every day. Over the years, from being just a type of attire, sarees transformed into a strong connection to memories, stories, and identity. “One moment that stands out was when a friend borrowed a saree for her special event from my personal collection and said it made her feel truly herself. That simple joy of sharing sparked the realisation that sarees are meant to be worn, celebrated, and circulated — not just stored away. That thought planted the first seed for Aapalee,” said Deshpande.


Deshpande has transformed the third floor of her bungalow located in Pune’s Nigdi where she stays with her in-laws, husband and her 6-year-old son into a saree renting studio.


While her favourite saree type is a handwoven pure silk Paithani from her wedding collection— she explains how the saree type itself was a great trigger point for her to start this business. She said, “it represents the perfect blend of tradition, craftsmanship, and timeless beauty. It reminds me why I started this journey — to keep these weaves alive and accessible.”


Deshpande runs the business with her partner, Amruta Kanetkar who comes from a makeup industry and styling background, which perfectly complements her creative and communication skills.


While the business idea is not the first of its kind in India, what sets Deshpande’s Apalee apart from other businesses is its initiative of building a saree community. Deshpande said, “I have started with my friends and family. We all women possess heavy and expensive sarees that we end up wearing only once in 20 years. Women bring their sarees to our studio. We study the quality and decide the price of rent. When that saree goes on rent, we pay 20 percent of what we earned through that saree to the owner of the saree. This particular idea has got a lot of encouragement. This way, we have involved other women in our business who get an opportunity to earn money by sharing their sarees with us.”


Aapalee offers a range of services. Firstly, it has over 400 sarees of different varieties from Kanjeevaram to Paithani to Georgette to many more that they give on rent. Besides, they also provide ready-towear already draped sarees for college going girls for a one-time occasion. Many women even get their own saree draped at the studio.


Deshpande quit a very high paying stable job to start this business. Deshpande who was raised in Gwalior of Madhya Pradesh, finished her BSC in electronics in Gwalior and moved to Pune for Higher studies. There she completed MBA in marketing and has over 15 years of experience in handling projects at companies such as Cap Gemini, Accenture and a couple of financial institutions. She quit as an assistant project manager at JP Morgan Chase earlier this year and started this business of saree renting in July 2025. Deshpande said, “We’re still in our early stages, so our focus right now is more on building the community, curating quality sarees, and refining our services. But yes, the response has been very encouraging. For us, the biggest success is the emotional connection people are forming with Aapalee — the profits will naturally follow.”


Having said that, Deshpande believes if you identify what you truly enjoy doing, and have family support, nothing can stop you from chasing a dream, as long as you have meticulously planned your finances.

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