[4] Patel was born in a lower middle class Hindu family in Surat, Gujarat.

Subsequently, he returned to his native place to join for a short stint as the editor in chief of a Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar.

[10] After his petition, a Surat District and Sessions Court had granted Patel permission to use his own passport from March 1 to May 30 and visit the US.

[10][11] In April 2022, he was invited by a group of American universities to speak in multiple conferences about the human rights situation in India.

[12] Patel was prevented from boarding a flight to USA, by the Indian government authorities, who cited a pending case against Amnesty India related to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

[13] Reacting to the incident Amnesty International has called for an "immediate revocation" of the "arbitrary travel ban" on Patel.

The court also asked the CBI Director to apologise to Patel, acknowledging the lapses on part of his subordinate.

According to the Court, issuing the Look Out Circular "merely on the basis of apprehensions arising out of whims and fancies of the investigating agency" was inappropriate.

The court asked the CBI Director to fix accountability and sensitize the officials who had issued the circular.