You put him behind bars as soon as he was released: SC reprimands Tamil Nadu for detaining YouTuber
Savukku Shankar was detained the same day he was granted bail on August 12, three days after the Madras High Court quashed his detention.
The Supreme Court on Friday observed that the Tamil Nadu government is using its might to ensure that YouTuber Savukku Shankar stayed in prison, seeing as he was taken into custody soon after his detention was quashed by the Madras High Court, reported The Hindu.
The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra made the remarks while hearing a challenge to 16 first information reports filed against Shankar.
All the cases pertain to an interview that Shankar gave to a YouTube channel on April 30 in which he made allegedly defamatory remarks about women police personnel. The YouTuber, however, claimed that the cases were filed to stop him from speaking against alleged corruption by politicians and bureaucrats.
On August 9, the High Court quashed Shankar’s detention, observing that there was an element of malice in the Tamil Nadu government’s actions against him.
The YouTuber had been detained under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Cyber Law Offenders, Drug Offenders, Forest Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Sand Offenders, Sexual Offenders, Slum Grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982.
On August 12, Shankar was granted bail and was scheduled to be released from jail at 5 pm, reported Live Law. However, at 5.45 pm, he was detained indefinitely in connection with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act case. Shankar had been granted bail in this case four months ago.
On Friday, the Supreme Court asked the Tamil Nadu government: “Why are you doing all this? You put the man behind bars the moment he comes out.”
Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, appearing for Shankar, requested the bench to include the plea with another pending habeas corpus petition challenging the YouTuber’s recent detention, reported Live Law.
The court deferred the hearing to August 27.
On Thursday, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which included Pardiwala and Misra, issued notice and sought a response from Tamil Nadu on Shankar’s detention, reported The Hindu.
The Supreme Court on August 14 told the Tamil Nadu Police not to take coercive action against Shankar in the 16 cases filed against him.
