HC seeks state’s response on UK doctor’s petition to scrap FIR, LOC

The Bombay High Court seeks the state government's response to Dr. Sangram Patil's petition to quash an FIR over his critical social media posts about PM Modi.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notice to the state government, seeking its response on the petition filed by London-based doctor and YouTuber Sangram Patil, in connection with a criminal case registered over his social media posts criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

HC seeks state’s response on UK doctor’s petition to scrap FIR, LOC

A single judge bench of justice Ashwin Bhobe was hearing Patil’s petition, which sought to quash the FIR and cancel the Look Out Circular (LOC) that has prevented him from returning to the United Kingdom.

Patil, a British citizen of Indian origin and a native of Jalgaon, was initially stopped at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on January 10 when he arrived in India and questioned for around 15 hours, officials said. He was again detained on January 16, when he was scheduled to fly to Manchester, and was not permitted to leave the country.

Patil said immigration authorities halted him based on the LOC, disrupting his travel plans. He said he had acknowledged making the posts, but maintained that they fell within his democratic rights and did not amount to promoting enmity or inciting violence, as alleged in the FIR.

On January 21, Patil was questioned for nearly six hours by the Mumbai crime branch. “I was again questioned on Wednesday for six hours. This was the third time. Earlier they questioned me on January 10 when I came to India, later on January 16, and today, on January 21. I have co-operated with the investigation and have asked them to cancel the LOC issued against me,” Patil said.

The FIR was registered at NM Joshi Marg police station on December 18, based on a complaint by Nikhil Bhamre, social media coordinator of the Maharashtra BJP. Bhamre told police he came across an objectionable post while browsing online, raised the matter with party leaders, and then approached the police.

Police said Patil has a large social media following and had posted several allegedly defamatory articles and remarks about BJP leaders. They said he gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and built a substantial audience across platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube.

In his petition, Patil also requested the court to issue directions to remove his name from the list, which bars him from travelling outside the country. Further, he urged the court to grant a stay on the investigation against him and be permitted to travel to the UK.

During the hearing on Thursday, senior advocate Sudeep Pasbola, appearing for Patil, highlighted the urgency of the matter to the court. He stated that Patil was unaware of the FIR registered against him and had travelled from the UK on his own.

On the other hand, advocate general Milind Sathe alleged that Patil had appeared before the authorities earlier in connection to other posts, and was not fully cooperating with the investigation.

The court issued a notice to the police authorities and directed them to file their reply within one week. The matter has been posted for further hearing on February 4.