Egmore Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted bail to Youtuber and whistleblower Savukku Shankar in four cases registered by the cyber crime wing of Chennai Central Crime Branch, on November 17. A week ago, the Supreme Court had suspended his six months imprisonment. The court also imposed conditions on Shankar preventing him from commenting on the cases and also asked him to present himself before the investigators everyday for 15 days. After completing the release procedures, he is likely to walk out from the prison on Friday, November 18.
Despite the Supreme Court’s order on November 11, Shankar continued to be imprisoned as he was arrested by the cyber crime wing on November 10 over cases registered in 2020 and 2021. The arrest intimation was served to Shankar by officers of the wing at the Cuddalore Central Prison.
Bail has been granted for all four cases registered against Shankar by the cyber crime wing. Out of the four cases, three have been registered in 2020 and one in 2021. One of the cases registered in 2020 is under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505(1) (b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The other two cases have been registered under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 505(1)(b) under IPC. The 2021 case is registered under sections 5(1)(a), 5(1)(d) and 5(2) of the Official Secrets Act. Section 5 of the Act deals with wrongful communication, etc. of information.
It is to be noted that Shankar was sentenced to six months in prison as the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court held him guilty of criminal contempt of court. Justice GR Swaminathan initiated suo-motu contempt proceedings against Shankar for saying that the “entire judiciary is riddled with corruption” and implying that the judge ‘met’ someone in a connection with a case against right-wing YouTuber Maridhas.
Shankar was a lower division clerk in the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and got this job on humanitarian grounds after his father who worked in the same department passed away. Shankar was arrested once in 2008 when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power and was subsequently suspended from the Department as well. After his release, he became a whistleblower and launched a website named Savukku in 2009 where he wrote about government officials, politicians, journalists, lawyers, and high court judges.