The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, ordered “forthwith” the release of well-known YouTuber Savukku Shankar, who was detained just after his release under the Tamil Nadu Goondas Act.
The top court’s order came after the Tamil Nadu government apprised it of the state having revoked his detention order following the opinion of an advisory board on the issue.
“Acting on the opinion of the Advisory Board, the state has revoked the order of detention today… In view of the aforesaid, the detenue Shankar alias Savukku Shankar shall be released forthwith, if not required in any other case,” the bench ordered while disposing of his plea against the fresh detention.
Shankar (48) was arrested by the Coimbatore Police from southern Theni on May 4 for alleged derogatory statements about women police personnel and some Madras High Court judges in an interview on the YouTube channel “RedPix 24×7” on April 30, which led to several FIRs against him.
Besides these cases, the YouTuber also faces a case lodged by the Theni Police for the alleged possession of ‘ganja’.
Shankar was released in pursuance of orders of the apex court and the Madras High Court. However, he was detained again by the state police on August 12.
The high court had on August 9 set aside the Chennai city police commissioner’s order to detain Shankar under the Goondas Act. It had also directed that the YouTuber, lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison, be set at liberty forthwith if he was not required in any other case.
He then filed two separate petitions seeking release and quashing of the cases against him.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddarth Luthra appeared for the state government.
Earlier, the top court had indicated that it may deal with the detention aspect, and for clubbing the cases, the YouTuber will have to go to the high court.
On August 30, it had asked the Tamil Nadu government to apprise it on September 2 of the reasons behind Shankar’s detention just after being released in connection with several criminal cases.
A former lower division clerk in the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption in the Tamil Nadu police, which he joined in 1991, Shankar runs a YouTube channel and website, Savukku (whip in Tamil), in which he criticises the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.
(With PTI inputs)
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