Bhamre’s grievance mentioned Patil uploaded “objectionable and defamatory content material on Fb that was deceptive and able to disturbing public concord”, the FIR has talked about.

“On Modi’s intercourse scandal, there’s utter silence amongst BJP andh bhakts (blind devotees) and 40 different folks given cash,” Patil wrote on Fb on 14 December 2025. The hyperlink to his put up is included within the FIR.

Dr Sangram Patil, a British nationwide of Indian origin and guide with the UK’s Nationwide Well being Service, maintains skilled and private ties in India.

He’s lively on social media platforms similar to YouTube and Fb underneath his personal identify. At present, he has 4,73,000 subscribers on YouTube.

His on-line exercise largely includes commentary on public affairs and political developments—one thing he has mentioned he does underneath his proper to free speech.

Patil informed the excessive court docket that he was in India on a vacationer visa when the FIR was registered. He had travelled to Mumbai for a brief private go to earlier than returning to the UK.

He mentioned the look out round (LOC) barred him from leaving India, disrupting his medical work within the UK for almost three months.

The FIR invokes the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions, 2023, primarily Part 353(2), which considerations publishing statements or info by way of digital means to advertise hatred, enmity or ill-will between teams. Additional, Mumbai Police have cited Part 356 of the BNS, regarding prison defamation, alleging that the posts harmed the repute of public figures.

In an affidavit filed on the Excessive Court docket on 6 February, the police maintained that “the content material went past permissible political criticism” and that an investigation was required “to find out whether or not there was a bigger, coordinated try and malign constitutional authorities”.

Patil categorically denied these allegations in a rejoinder affidavit filed on 9 February.

A BJP functionary who didn’t want to be named informed ThePrint, “I scroll on social media for almost 12 hours day-after-day. I got here throughout this put up and instantly flagged it and located the identify of the one who posted it. Not identically the identical, however a put up on related strains was on one other web page [‘Shahar Vikas Aghadi’]—that was flagged and can be talked about within the grievance. The put up on the opposite web page doesn’t exist anymore, however the police will likely be higher in a position to establish them [and probe] completely.”

Sequence of occasions

Mumbai Police—hours after Bhamre’s FIR—issued a LOC towards the physician and commenced the probe.

Patil landed in Mumbai from the UK on 10 January. Mumbai Police Crime Department instantly detained and questioned him on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Worldwide Airport.

Afterwards, the physician was allowed to depart. However on the identical time, he was requested to cooperate with the probe. Patil appeared earlier than the police on 15 January to file his assertion.

When he tried to fly to the UK on 16 January, he was stopped owing to the lively LOC.

He made a second try on 19 January however failed. Thus, he has remained stranded in India for almost three months.

Patil then approached the Bombay Excessive Court docket on 22 January to quash the FIR and the LOC. The next day, the court docket issued notices to the Maharashtra authorities and the Mumbai Police, directing them to file responses.

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6 Feb. police affidavit

Opposing Patil’s petition, Mumbai Police filed an affidavit on 6 February—sworn by none aside from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Raj Tilak Roushan. He informed the court docket that “the prison motion towards Patil was not arbitrary however essential to safeguard the picture of India, and the dignity of the Prime Minister on the worldwide discussion board and to guard nationwide integrity”.

The affidavit mentioned Patil had circulated posts able to selling disharmony and enmity between communities and had uploaded “indecent, derisive, degrading and salacious content material” on the PM.

It additional alleged that Patil tried to evade Indian legislation enforcement by working by way of overseas IP addresses and digital intermediaries, persevering with to add “inflammatory and scandalous content material” even after the investigation towards him started in December 2025.

“I say that petitioner Dr Sangram Patil, a overseas nationwide holding United Kingdom citizenship, has posted content material on Fb, making severe and scandalous allegations of a lascivious nature towards the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India,” the police affidavit acknowledged.

It mentioned one other Fb account, ‘Shahar Vikas Aghadi’, posted related content material throughout the identical interval, suggesting that this was a coordinated exercise.

Justifying the LOC, the police submitted that Patil’s overseas residence, frequent worldwide journey, cross-border digital operations, and seriousness of offences warranted preventive motion.

“The LOC was issued by way of competent authorities in accordance with legislation as a preventive and regulatory measure to safe the presence of the accused and be sure that he doesn’t abscond or evade due course of,” their affidavit mentioned.

Police informed the court docket that “at this stage, the chance that such acts kind half of a bigger, organised effort geared toward maligning constitutional authority and disturbing public order can’t be dominated out”.

The affidavit additionally alleged non-cooperation by Patil, claiming that he refused to grant full entry to his Fb account, gave evasive solutions, and cited technical difficulties in accessing the account resulting from a one-time password being linked to a tool within the UK.

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9 Feb. Patil’s rejoinder

Patil filed a rejoinder on 9 February, and his affidavit strongly disputed police claims.

The physician asserted that he cooperated with the investigation, appeared earlier than the Crime Department, and that “no custodial interrogation has been sought to date”.

Patil “categorically denied” that the “mentioned put up mentions the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India by identify or makes any direct or oblique reference identifiable solely to the Prime Minister”. He added that the police have been attributing meanings based mostly on “subjective political interpretation”.

The physician accused the police of making an attempt to “criminalise political speech, justify an unlawful LOC put up facto, chill dissent, and abuse the prison course of.”

He identified that allegations regarding obscenity, nationwide integrity, sovereignty, public order, or conspiracy weren’t a part of the FIR and couldn’t be launched by way of affidavits.

He additional argued that political criticism, even when harsh or unpalatable, didn’t quantity to promotion of enmity between teams, declaring that the FIR didn’t establish any such teams, as required underneath the legislation. Additional, Patil denied any affiliation with the ‘Shahar Vikas Aghadi’ account and rejected allegations of coordinated exercise or conspiracy.

Questioning the police’s insistence on seizing his gadgets, Patil acknowledged that he admitted authorship of the put up in query and submitted documentary and oral proof to that impact. He additionally denied allegations that he continued posting derogatory content material after studying in regards to the FIR.

“The impugned FIR doesn’t reproduce the alleged posts verbatim, doesn’t specify which sentence constitutes an offence, and doesn’t disclose how the statutory components of Part 353(2) BNS are attracted,” Patil mentioned, including that no defamation case had been filed by any particular person associated to his posts.

The matter is scheduled for the subsequent listening to on 17 February, when the excessive court docket is predicted to think about whether or not the FIR and journey restrictions imposed on the physician will be legally sustained, or whether or not he will be allowed to get again residence after three months.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)

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