Mumbai: UK-based doctor and YouTuber Sangram Patil, who has challenged an FIR and a lookout circular issued against him for posts against BJP leaders, has told Bombay high court that his Facebook post did not mention Prime Minister Narendra Modi by name.In his rejoinder to Mumbai police’s reply, Patil said although he had posted a particular post on FB, “it is categorically denied by me that the said post mentions the Prime Minister of India by name, or makes any direct or indirect reference identifiable exclusively to the Prime Minister”. Patil was intercepted at Mumbai airport upon his arrival on Jan 10 and questioned. On Jan 19, he was stopped from leaving India. Patil’s affidavit said to date, the lookout circular has not been furnished to him. He submitted documentary and oral evidence regarding his post during the investigation. Therefore, he said, “there is no need for any further investigation in this respect”. He also “emphatically” denied committing any offence or being part of any larger conspiracy or “that I fund or that I am being funded by any organisation or individual for this purpose”. These are not issues mentioned in the FIR and “police do not have the jurisdiction to expand the investigation beyond the post”, he said. Police’s intent to “catch hold of my other (digital) devices and implicate me in similar false cases is evident from the fact that they are asking irrelevant information and instruments”, he said. Patil said allegations of “promotion of enmity” are baseless and legally unsustainable. For such an offence, the sine qua non (the essential condition) is the existence of two or more identifiable groups and an act which promotes or attempts to promote hatred between six definite groups based on religion, race, language, region, caste or community, he said. “Police are attempting to innovate a new group of followers and non-followers of a political leader...” he added.
