Supreme Court Orders Release of YouTuber Savukku Shankar After Tamil Nadu Revokes Detention

The Supreme Court ordered the release of YouTuber Savukku Shankar after the Tamil Nadu government revoked his detention under the Goondas Act. The decision followed a petition from Shankar's mother, challenging the detention linked to his exposure of government corruption. The court noted the need to consolidate multiple FIRs against Shankar related to controversial statements made during a YouTube interview, staying any coercive action while addressing the issue.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered the immediate release of YouTuber Savukku Shankar, following the Tamil Nadu government's revocation of his detention under the Goondas Act. The decision came after the state's Advisory Board recommended the withdrawal of the detention order.

During the hearing, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra, representing the state government, informed the court that the advisory board had acted on the recommendation to revoke Shankar's detention. Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra acknowledged the update and ordered Shankar's release unless he was required for any other case.

The case stemmed from a petition filed by Shankar’s mother, A Kamala, challenging the initial detention order dated August 12. This detention fell under the Goondas Act, which addresses various offenses, including those related to dangerous activities.

Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, representing Shankar's mother, argued that the fresh detention order aimed to prevent Shankar's release and pointed out that a previous similar order issued on May 12 had been overturned by the Madras High Court on August 9. He also highlighted that Shankar had exposed corruption within the state government, including a cash-for-jobs scandal involving former minister V Senthil Balaji.

While the state government contended that the latest detention was warranted due to the recovery of narcotics from Shankar's possession, he has faced multiple FIRs for making controversial statements against women police officers during a YouTube interview. Shankar has challenged these FIRs in a separate petition, seeking to consolidate them as they relate to the same interview.

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The Supreme Court has issued a notice regarding the plea and stayed any coercive action related to the FIRs. The court has asked the government to confirm that the FIRs pertain to the same interview, emphasizing the need to address them collectively if they are indeed linked.