Madras HC quashes YouTuber Savukku Shankar’s preventive detention by Chennai police
Shankar is facing 17 cases for allegedly derogatory comments against women cops, and other cases, including for possessing ganja
Madras High Court; Savukku Shankar
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court set aside the preventive detention of controversial YouTuber Savukku Shankar for various alleged offences, including passing allegedly derogatory comments against women police personnel.
A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice V Sivagnanam allowed the habeas corpus petition moved by Shankar’s mother A Kamala, who sought to quash the preventive detention (known as Goondas Act detention in common parlance).
Appearing for her, advocate C Iyapparaj submitted that Shankar’s preventive detention was malicious and showed non-application of mind.
The State claimed that Shankar provoked the public regarding the Kalaignar Centenary bus terminus at Kilambakkam, but his statements did not provoke anyone or lead to any untoward incidents, said the counsel.
His preventive detention was also a complete jurisdictional error, as the Kilambakkam bus terminus comes under Tambaram commissionerate, whereas the detention order was executed by Chennai city commissionerate, said the counsel.
Further, it was submitted that the prosecution failed to serve any documents related to the preventive detention to the detainee to advance his case.
Opposing the plea, additional public prosecutor E Raj Tilak submitted that Shankar has been campaigning against Kilambakkam bus terminus from December last year and even circulated forged documents.
He is a repeated offender propagating false information, the government lawyer said, justifying that Shankar was detained to prevent any untoward incidents in the society.
It was also submitted that he made statements against women police personnel, which affected their morale.
The YouTuber is facing 17 cases for his allegedly derogatory comments against women personnel in various stations across the State, and will have to obtain bail to get release. On Thursday, he filed a petition seeking to club all the cases arising out of a single alleged offence.
This apart, there are other cases as well, including one for allegedly possessing ganja.
