MADRAS HC SEEKS YOUTUBER’S HEALTH REPORT, 2 MORE CASES FILED AGAINST HIM

The Madras high court on Wednesday directed the Coimbatore District Legal Services Authority to submit a report on the health condition of Tamil YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar by Thursday even as two more cases were registered against Shankar who was arrested on May 4 for allegedly making defamatory remarks against women police officers.

He has been sent to judicial custody till May 17.

Based on the habeas corpus petition filed by Shankar’s mother A Kamala alleging custodial torture of her son by prison authorities at the Coimbatore Central Prison, a vacation bench of justices A D Jagadish Chandira and R Kalamathi passed the order seeking his health report.

In her petition, she said that Shankar’s lawyer had informed her that he was “brutally attacked by the jail wardens resulting in severe injuries”. She sought directions for a judicial probe into the alleged custodial violence and for providing him proper treatment at a private hospital. The justices said that they will wait for the legal services authority’s report.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu police also registered two more cases against Shankar based on the complaints of the founder and leader of Tamilar Munnetra Padai, Veeralakshmi. Felix Gerald who manages a YouTube channel Redpix has been named as one of the accused. They have been booked under relevant Sections 294(b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song), 506 (i) of the IPC, police said.

The second case pertains to an old harassment complaint filed by a woman editor of a private media company, police said. “Investigation is going on in both the cases,” police said in a statement.

Police did not identify the woman editor. But journalist Sandhya Ravishankar posted on X, “After 6 years, Chennai Police registered an FIR on the basis of my complaint against ‘Savukku’ Shankar.” The Chennai Cyber Crime have registered a case under sections 294(b), 354D, 506(i), 509 IPC and section 4 of TN Prevention of Harassment of Women Act on May 7. “Thanks to CoP, Chennai & team,” Ravishankar said.

On May 4, the cybercrime wing of the Coimbatore Police had arrested Shankar for his alleged “defamatory statements” against senior and women police officers during an interview. Shankar, a former employee of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) who later turned a whistleblower runs Savukku media comprising a web portal and a YouTube channel. He was picked up from Theni district to Coimbatore. His arrest came days after the staff of Savukku media were arrested on multiple charges.

Shankar earlier spent more than two months in jail in 2022 after the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court, sentenced him to six months in jail in suo motu contempt proceedings for his statement that “the entire higher judiciary is riddled with corruption.”

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2024-05-09T02:55:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd