HC gives green signal for Dr Sangram Patil to fly back to UK

Dr Patil, a consultant doctor with the UK’s public health service, has consistently maintained he is guilty of no wrongdoing

MUMBAI: Bringing a three and a half ordeal to an end, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday gave the green signal for Dr Sangram Patil, a British citizen of Indian origin, to return to the United Kingdom (UK). The court directed the state government to modify the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Patil, who has been booked for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his personal social media channel.

Mumbai, India - January 19, 2026: Dr Sangram Patil at Nariman Point in Mumbai, India, on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Dr Patil, a consultant doctor with the UK’s public health service, has consistently maintained he is guilty of no wrongdoing. He has also maintained that he will cooperate with the investigation even if he is allowed to return home.

On Tuesday, a single-judge bench of Justice Ashwin Bhobhe accepted the undertaking filed by Patil and his parents on April 27, to fully cooperate with the investigation and return to India whenever required. The court took the undertakings on record and ordered the state to modify the LOC so that Patil can fly back home.

HT graphic

During a hearing on April 15, Justice Ashwin Bhobe had observed that Patil had been held up in India since January, and remarked, “Three months is a bit too harsh. You cannot hold someone like this. He says he may lose his job. If he has nothing to earn, what will you say?” The court then directed Patil and his parents to file undertakings within 10 days, assuring that he would return to India whenever required by the police.

In his affidavit, Patil said he would present himself before the authorities whenever required, subject to being given a prior written notice of at least 15 days by email.

Patil had approached the high court in January seeking the quashing of the LOC, saying it prevented him from returning to the UK. Originally a native of Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Patil was stopped on arrival at the Mumbai airport on January 10 and questioned extensively for several hours. He was later detained on January 16.

The action followed the registration of an FIR against him at the NM Joshi Marg police station on December 18, 2025, based on a complaint filed by Nikhil Bhamre, social media coordinator of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra unit. The complaint alleged that Patil, who has a large social media following, had posted several defamatory articles and remarks about BJP leaders, including Modi.