New Delhi: Mumbai Police have told the Bombay High Court that they cannot rule out an organised effort to malign constitutional authority in relation to social media posts by British doctor and YouTuber Dr Sangram Patil. The statement came in response to Patil’s plea seeking to quash an FIR registered against him and a Look Out Circular preventing him from leaving India, the Indian Express reported.In an affidavit filed on January 30, Deputy Commissioner of Police Raj Tilak Roushan said further investigation was required into why Patil, a British national residing in the United Kingdom, allegedly posted content about Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including the Prime Minister. The police said the posts could form part of a larger, coordinated attempt to disturb public order and malign constitutional authority, Bar and Bench reported.Patil, a National Health Service consultant of Indian origin, arrived in Mumbai on January 10 this year and was detained at the airport for questioning by the Crime Branch of Mumbai police. Despite cooperating with authorities and submitting written responses, he was prevented from boarding flights to the UK on January 16 and 19 due to the active LOC, the Times of India reported.The LOC bars his departure while the investigation continues.The FIR, registered on December 18, 2025 at N.M. Joshi Marg Police Station, followed a complaint by BJP media cell official Nikhil Bhamre. Bhamre reportedly alleged that Patil had posted defamatory and false content against BJP leaders on Facebook. The police affidavit suggested that multiple accounts operated in tandem. Authorities also stated that Patil had failed to provide access to his digital devices, which could contain evidence, and that further investigation was needed to determine if he had local “collaborators” in India, the paper said.Patil’s lawyers argued that the FIR and LOC were “illegal” and “arbitrary” and that the doctor had been cooperative, having appeared for questioning three times. The petition requested quashing of the LOC, a stay on the investigation and permission for Patil to return to the UK, the New Indian Express reported.Advocate General Milind Sathe, however, told the court that Patil had not fully cooperated.Patil has said the restrictions on his travel and the ongoing investigation have curtailed his rights as a foreign national and his freedom of expression. Mumbai Police have not indicated when the LOC might be lifted or whether further action is planned, India Today reported.