Mumbai, Feb 05: The Mumbai Police have told the Bombay High Court that their investigation into UK-based doctor and YouTuber Sangram Patil is exploring whether his alleged online posts against Prime Minister Narendra Modi form part of a coordinated effort to malign constitutional authorities.
State opposes plea to quash FIR, LOC
The state filed an affidavit before the Bombay High Court opposing Patil’s plea seeking to quash an FIR and a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him.
The state described the matter as being at a crucial stage and said it could not rule out the possibility of an organised attempt to disturb public order through allegedly defamatory and inflammatory social media content. The police argued that Patil’s continued presence in India was necessary to complete the probe.
Probe into visa conditions and local links
The affidavit, filed by Raj Tilak Roushan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection), stated that investigators were examining why Patil, a British national of Indian origin visiting India on a tourist e-visa, allegedly posted objectionable material targeting the Prime Minister and BJP leaders while residing abroad.
Authorities are also probing whether he violated visa conditions and whether any local collaborators assisted in disseminating or amplifying the content.
FIR details and social media links
The FIR was registered in December 2025 at NM Joshi Marg police station based on a complaint by BJP media cell functionary Nikhil Bhamre. The complaint alleged that posts promoting enmity and disinformation were circulated through a Facebook page titled “Shehar Vikas Aghadi” and were linked to Patil.
According to the police, a preliminary assessment of the timing, content and narrative of the posts suggested coordinated activity between accounts connected to Jalgaon district.
Alleged non-cooperation cited
The police further alleged that Patil did not fully cooperate with investigators and avoided submitting his mobile phone and digital credentials for forensic examination.
This conduct, the affidavit said, raised suspicion of possible concealment or tampering with electronic evidence. Investigators also claimed that he continued to post inflammatory material after arriving in India, including content that could potentially incite social disharmony.
Patil challenges action as politically motivated
Patil, who was detained at Mumbai airport in January and prevented from leaving the country, has challenged the FIR and LOC as illegal and politically motivated.
He has told the court that criminal law is being misused to silence dissent and has sought a stay on the investigation, protection from coercive action and permission to return to the UK.
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Next hearing
The police have urged the court to dismiss what they termed a premature plea, maintaining that the cyber-forensic investigation is ongoing and requires Patil’s availability in India. The plea is likely to come up for hearing on February 6, Friday.
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