Whistleblower ‘Savukku’ Shankar detained again under Goondas Act

Chennai: Notwithstanding the Madras High Court’s stringent criticism, the Tamil Nadu Police on Monday yet again detained whistleblower and YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar under the stringent Goondas Act, this time in connection with a case filed against him in May for possessing ganja.

The development comes four days after a division bench of justices S M Subramanian and V Sivagnanam of the High Court quashed his detention under the Goondas Act in May this year after he made derogatory remarks against women police personnel.

The court, while ordering the release of Shankar if he was not wanted in other cases, had contended that preventive detention laws cannot be used to curb speeches when there is no disturbance to public order or security.

“He (Shankar) has been detained under the Goondas Act by Theni District Police,” a senior police officer who is aware of the development told DH.

Theni district collector R V Shajeevana issued the orders for detaining Shankar under the Goondas Act based on a recommendation from District Superintendent of Police R Shiva Prasad.

The detention was made in connection with the case filed against the whistleblower in May for possessing 450 grams of ganja in his car in Theni in southern Tamil Nadu when a team from Coimbatore Cyber Crime police arrested him in a case relating to his derogatory remarks on women police personnel.

The detention was made in connection with the case filed against the whistleblower in May for possessing ganja in his hotel room in Theni in southern Tamil Nadu when a team from Coimbatore Cyber Crime police arrested him in a case relating to his derogatory remarks on women police personnel, the officer added.

Shankar, a former employee of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), is a whistleblower who has exposed several scams and was a regular on YouTube channels.

He was highly critical of Chief Minister M K Stalin, his son and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi, and senior ministers and bureaucrats of the DMK dispensation, drawing commendation and condemnation in equal measures.

The whistleblower’s detention under the Goondas Act is likely to come up for legal scrutiny once again. The Tamil Nadu government, after the DMK assumed power in 2021, had suffered a sting of embarrassment following the High Court striking down slapping of Goondas Act on many individuals, including a school teacher who was accused of sexual harassment.

Before the detention order was issued, Shankar told reporters outside a court that he was being “made to visit courts after courts” as Udhay didn’t want him to be released till the F4 racing event in Chennai was over. “He (Udhay) is the reason for my arrest in fresh cases,” Shankar alleged.

Shankar was arrested for making defamatory comments against women police personnel alleging that they make compromises with senior officials to get postings in the department. At one point in the interview, Shankar also calls a police officer a “scoundrel.” 500 grams of ganja was also found from Shankar’s car during the arrest in Theni on May 4.

Police also arrested Felix Gerald, the YouTuber who aired the interview, and he was released recently on the orders of the Madras High Court.

Coming down heavily on the DMK dispensation, the High Court had on August 9 said speeches criticising the ruling government, its policies, and actions or exposing corrupt or illegal actions in the public administration cannot in itself be termed as a threat to “public order”.

“Though the impugned detention order states that the acts committed by the detenu are prejudicial to the maintenance of public order the impugned order is devoid of reasons. Offences disclosed in the adverse cases and the ground case do not disclose any serious threat to public order and do not meet the threshold,” the judges had said.