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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.

West Bengal Congress divided over Left alliance as TMC shuts doors for 2026 polls

With Trinamool Congress ruling out an alliance, Congress faces an internal split over seat-sharing with the Left Front for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

West Bengal

Kolkata: With the Trinamool Congress (TMC) making it clear that it will not ally with Congress for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the grand old party now faces a tough decision—whether to forge an alliance with the CPI(M)-led Left Front or contest independently.


Congress Divided on Left Alliance

The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) appears divided on this issue. One section argues that alliances have historically weakened Congress in the state. They recall how TMC, after forming an alliance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and 2011 Assembly polls, gradually poached Congress leaders and eroded the party’s strength. Similarly, the Congress-Left alliance, which began in 2016, is seen as having made the party overly reliant on seat-sharing rather than rebuilding its own base.

However, others within the party feel that given Congress’ current weak organisational presence in Bengal, contesting alone in 2026 would mean certain defeat. With Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee categorically rejecting a Congress-TMC alliance, they see the Left Front as the only viable partner for a seat-sharing arrangement.


Congress High Command’s Approach

Congress’ central leadership is refraining from imposing any decision on the state unit. Instead, it plans to assess the opinions of state leaders and grassroots workers before finalizing a strategy. A delegation from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), possibly led by national president Mallikarjun Kharge, is expected to visit West Bengal in June or July to evaluate the situation.


CPI(M)’s Stance on Alliances

Meanwhile, CPI(M) has its own reservations about electoral tie-ups. The party’s draft political resolution for its 24th Congress, scheduled in April in Madurai, emphasizes an independent political approach over electoral alliances. The resolution stresses rebuilding the party’s presence in Bengal and Tripura through grassroots mobilization, particularly among rural communities. It also highlights the need to challenge the BJP ideologically while opposing both the TMC and BJP in West Bengal.

Given these complexities, the fate of a Congress-Left alliance remains uncertain, making the 2026 Assembly elections a crucial test for both parties.

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