Bombay HC allows Indian-origin doctor booked for posts about BJP leaders to return to UK

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government to modify a lookout circular against British doctor Sangram Patil, who had been booked for “objectionable” posts on social media about Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, so that he can return to his home country, Live Law reported.

The circular is used by law enforcement authorities to check whether a person entering or leaving the country is wanted by the police.

On January 10, Patil, who is also a content creator, was detained at the Mumbai airport after he arrived from London, in connection with the allegedly derogatory online posts about the BJP. The Indian-origin doctor was later allowed to leave after being given a notice to join the investigation.

He was then prevented from flying back to London on January 19 by the immigration department, which cited the lookout circular.

This came after BJP leader Nikhil Bhamre, in a complaint in December, alleged that Patil had deliberately made allegedly defamatory and misleading posts about the Hindutva party. The online posts could create feelings of enmity and hatred between groups, Bhamre claimed.

Based on the complaint, a first information report was registered against Patil by the cybercrime department under the Information Technology Act. A lookout notice had also been issued against him.

Patil’s YouTube channel has more than four lakh subscribers, and his Facebook page has...

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