The FIR mentioned in Bahamure’s grievance that Patil had uploaded “obnoxious and defamatory content material on Fb which is more likely to mislead and disturb social concord”.
“The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering is totally silent on Prime Minister Modi’s intercourse scandal.” and believers (Blind Believers) and 40 others,” Patil wrote on Fb on December 14, 2025. A hyperlink to his put up is included within the FIR.
Dr. Sangram Patil is a British nationwide of Indian origin and a marketing consultant to the British Nationwide Well being Service, sustaining skilled and private connections in India.
He’s lively on social media platforms equivalent to YouTube and Fb underneath his personal title. Presently, he has 4,73,000 subscribers on YouTube.
His on-line exercise primarily consists of commentary on public affairs and political developments, which he says he does underneath his free speech rights.
Patil informed the Excessive Court docket that he was in India on a vacationer visa when the FIR was registered. He had visited Mumbai on a brief private go to earlier than returning to the UK.
He mentioned a surveillance discover (LOC) had barred him from leaving India and had halted medical operations within the UK for practically three months.
The FIR invokes the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) Laws, 2023, primarily Part 353(2). This issues publishing statements or info through digital means to advertise hatred, hostility or ailing will between teams. Moreover, the Mumbai Police cited Part 356 of the BNS on felony defamation, claiming that the put up had broken the repute of a public determine.
In an affidavit filed with the Excessive Court docket on February 6, police mentioned “the content material went past permissible political criticism” and known as for an investigation “to find out whether or not there was a large-scale and systematic try and defame the constitutional authorities.”
Patil categorically denied these allegations in his retrial affidavit filed on February 9.
“I spend practically 12 hours a day scrolling by way of social media. I got here throughout this put up, instantly flagged it and discovered the title of the one who posted it. There’s a related however not an identical put up on one other web page (‘Shahar Vikas Aghadi’) which was flagged and in addition talked about within the grievance. Posts from different pages now not exist, however police could possibly higher establish them. (and totally researched).”
order of occasions
Hours after Bhamre’s FIR, the Mumbai Police issued a LOC in opposition to the physician and launched an investigation.
Patil arrived in Mumbai from the UK on January 10. The Mumbai Police Crime Department instantly detained him on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Worldwide Airport and interrogated him.
The physician was then allowed to go away the room. Nonetheless, they have been additionally requested to cooperate with the investigation. Patil surrendered himself to the police on January 15 and recorded an announcement.
When he tried to fly to the UK on January 16, he was stopped because of an lively LOC.
He made a second try on January 19, however was unsuccessful. In consequence, he remained stranded in India for practically three months.
Patil then moved the Bombay Excessive Court docket on January 22 to quash the FIR and LOC. The following day, the court docket issued notices to the Maharashtra authorities and the Mumbai Police and directed them to submit their responses.
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Police affidavit dated February sixth
Opposing Patil’s petition, the Mumbai Police filed an affidavit sworn on February 6 by none apart from Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective) Raj Tilak Roshan. “The felony proceedings in opposition to Mr. Patil weren’t arbitrary however have been essential to guard India’s picture and the dignity of the Prime Minister in worldwide boards and to guard the integrity of the nation,” he informed the court docket.
The affidavit mentioned Patil circulated posts that might incite communal disharmony and enmity and uploaded “vulgar, derisive, degrading and indecent content material” to the chief minister.
It additional alleged that Patil tried to evade Indian regulation enforcement by working by way of overseas IP addresses and digital intermediaries and continued to add “inflammatory and scandalous content material” even after the investigation in opposition to him started in December 2025.
“The petitioner Dr. Sangram Patil, a overseas nationwide of British nationality, has posted content material on Fb alleging that he has made critical and scandalous allegations of an obscene nature in opposition to the Prime Minister of India,” the police affidavit mentioned.
One other Fb account, Shahar Vikas Aghadi, additionally posted related content material across the identical time, suggesting this was an organized effort, the paper mentioned.
Justifying the LOC, the police submitted that the preventive measures have been essential because of Patil’s overseas residence, frequent worldwide journey, cross-border digital actions and the seriousness of the crime.
Their affidavit states, “The LOC was issued by way of the competent authority in accordance with regulation as a preventive and regulatory measure to make sure the presence of the defendant and to make sure that the defendant doesn’t abscond or evade due course of.”
Police informed the court docket: “At this stage, we can’t rule out the likelihood that such actions are half of a bigger, organized operation geared toward undermining constitutional authority and disrupting public order.”
The affidavit additionally alleged Patil was uncooperative, refusing to grant full entry to his Fb account, giving evasive solutions and citing technical difficulties in accessing the account as a result of the one-time password was linked to a tool within the UK.
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February ninth Patil’s rejoinder
Patil filed a rejoinder on February 9, however his affidavit strongly disputed the police’s claims.
The physician cooperated with the investigation and appeared earlier than the Crime Department, claiming that “no custodial interrogation has been sought to date.”
Patil “categorically denies” that the put up mentions the title of the Prime Minister of India or makes any direct or oblique reference that might establish him alone. He added that police have been attributing meanings based mostly on “subjective political interpretations.”
The physician accused police of making an attempt to “criminalize political speech, legitimize unlawful LOCs after the actual fact, chill dissent, and abuse the felony course of.”
He identified that allegations regarding obscenity, nationwide integrity, sovereignty, public order or conspiracy aren’t a part of an FIR and can’t be raised by way of an affidavit.
He additional maintained that political criticism, even when harsh or offensive, doesn’t incite hostility between teams, mentioning that the FIR did not establish any group as required by regulation. Patil additionally denied any affiliation with the ‘Shahal Vikas Aghadi’ account and denied any allegations of organized exercise or conspiracy.
Questioning the police’s efforts to grab his gadgets, Patil mentioned he had admitted to being the writer of the posts in query and had supplied documentary and oral proof to that impact. He additionally denied allegations that he continued posting derogatory content material even after studying concerning the FIR.
“The impugned FIR doesn’t reproduce the alleged put up verbatim, nor does it specify which judgment constitutes an offence, nor does it clarify how the authorized parts of Part 353(2) of the BNS are attracted,” Patil mentioned, including that no defamation go well with has been filed by any particular person in connection along with his put up.
The following listening to within the matter is scheduled for February 17, when the excessive court docket will think about whether or not the FIR and journey restrictions imposed on the physician can legally proceed or whether or not he will be allowed to return dwelling after three months.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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