SC orders release of YouTuber-journalist Savukku Shankar detained by Tamil Nadu govt

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Tamil Nadu government to forthwith release YouTuber-journalist and vocal critic of DMK dispensation Shankar alias Savukku Shankar, who was detained under the Goondas Act within days of quashing his previous detention.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued the order for the release of Shankar as senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sidharth Luthra submitted the Advisory Board's opinion that the order of detention should be revoked.

"The detenue Shankar shall be released forthwith, if not required in any other case," the court said.

"Acting on the opinion of the Advisory Board, the State has revoked the order of detention today, i.e., 25th September, 2024," the bench noted.

A Kamala, the mother of Shankar, led by advocates Balaji Srinivasan, K Gowtham Kumar and Harsha Tripathi challenged the validity of the fresh order of detention passed on August 13 against him, within days of quashing of a previous similar order of detention by the Madras High Court.

After the decision of the Advisory Board, the Tamil Nadu government also passed an order, stating "the Advisory Board has expressed its unanimous opinion that there is no sufficient cause for the detention of Shankar. Accordingly, the government, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (2) of section 12 of Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 1982, hereby revokes the order of detention, made by the District Collector and District Magistrate".

It said that Shankar, aged 48, should be released forthwith from detention as there is no sufficient cause.

The plea by Shankar's mother claimed he is a victim of a witch-hunt by the State which is motivated by its own vendetta to harass him and keep him incarcerated, even more so now that he has been granted bail in almost all cases, and the first detention order passed against him under the Goondas Act has been quashed.

It contended that the detenu is a strong voice of dissent in the state as he is exposing all the illegal acts of the government. He voices his opinions not only about the present government in power but also the previous government, when they committed acts that were illegal in his opinion, it claimed.

One notable exposé of the petitioner was that in the “cash for jobs” scam that led to the arrest of a powerful minister of the ruling party (Senthil Balaji), who was also forced to resign from his post. Resultantly, several ministers and politicians of the ruling party have filed defamation cases against the petitioner, his plea claimed.

On August 14, the Supreme Court had granted protection to Shankar from any coercive actions in 16 FIRs lodged against him by the Tamil Nadu police.