Contentious battle: YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar being produced before the special court in Madurai in May.
| Photo Credit: R. Ashok
The Supreme Court on Thursday (August 23, 2024) sought a response from the Tamil Nadu government on a plea by YouTuber Savukku Shankar’s mother challenging an August 12 detention order issued by the State against him under the Goondas Act.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud promptly issued notice to the State after hearing submissions made by advocate Balaji Srinivasan, along with advocates K. Gowtham Kumar and Harsha Tripathi appearing for A. Kamala, that the detention order was “completely absurd, non-reasoned and blatantly illegal”.
Mr. Srinivasan said the detention order was the second in a row, and issued merely three days after the first one was quashed by the Madras High Court. The Supreme Court is also examining an appeal filed by Shankar challenging the registration of 16 FIRs against him across Tamil Nadu.
The second detention order described him as a “drug offender”.
“The State is fearful that the detenu (Shankar) may be released soon, and is therefore trying to keep him incarcerated by hook or by crook… He is currently detained in Madurai without any access to his lawyers… He is an investigative journalist who fearlessly exposes the illegal and corrupt activities of the ruling party in the State government,” the petition submitted.
The court listed the case for hearing on August 27.
