The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar, who had been detained under the Goondas Act by the Tamil Nadu Police in May
A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah granted interim relief to Shankar, who is currently lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison. The bench stated that it would not rule on the case’s merits, as the matter is pending before the Madras High Court.
The bench acknowledged the submissions from the lawyers representing both parties, who indicated they would seek to expedite the hearing before the Chief Justice of the High Court or an appropriate bench early next week.
“We find that the delay in this matter is not attributable to the petitioner. In these unique circumstances, the petitioner should be released until the High Court makes a decision on his detention,” the bench ruled, clarifying that this order pertains only to preventive detention matters. If Shankar is imprisoned for other cases, this order does not apply.
The Supreme Court was addressing an appeal challenging the Madras High Court’s decision to adjourn a habeas corpus petition filed by Shankar’s mother, challenging his detention under the Goondas Act.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the Tamil Nadu government, was asked to justify the need for preventive detention against Shankar. Luthra argued that Shankar was accused of forging documents, among other offenses.
The bench questioned, “How can he be detained? Is he a threat to national security? This is not an ordinary civil dispute but a preventive detention matter. Somebody’s liberty is at stake. He has been in preventive detention for over two months.” Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, representing Shankar’s mother, argued that the detention was based solely on the fear that Shankar might be granted bail in other criminal cases.
On May 12, a cybercrime police inspector in Chennai served the detention order on Shankar, based on the directive from Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, Sandeep Rai Rathore.
According to a Chennai police press note, Shankar faces seven cases in the Chennai police’s central crime branch/cybercrime, with three under investigation, two with charge sheets filed, and the remaining pending trial.
Shankar, 48, was initially arrested by Coimbatore police on May 4 in Theni for allegedly making derogatory remarks about women police personnel in a YouTube interview. He also faces a case for possession of ganja, filed by Theni police, and has claimed in court that he was assaulted in Coimbatore prison.
Under the Goondas Act, a detainee can be imprisoned for up to a year, subject to review by an advisory board. The validity of such detentions is also reviewed by the High Court based on petitions filed by the detainees.
Shankar, known for his outspoken criticism of the DMK regime and Chief Minister M K Stalin, has been accused by several individuals of making personal attacks and uncivil remarks. A former special assistant in the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, he was accused in 2008 of leaking sensitive conversations between officials, but a court later acquitted him.
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