The Madras High Court, on Thursday, May 23, has directed the Tamil Nadu Police to produce all documents pertaining to the detention of YouTuber and whistleblower 'Savukku' Shankar under the stringent Goondas Act. A vacation bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and PB Balaji passed the direction after a petition was filed by Shankar’s mother A Kamala, who prayed before the court to quash the charges against her son under the Goondas Act.
She also claimed that Shankar is suffering from serious health issues following his alleged custodial torture. Kamala said in her petition that her son had exposed various scams involving politicians and bureaucrats, and stood up against the failures of the state government. The petitioner also informed the court that the detention of her son shows the "vengeance unleashed by the police with malicious intentions".
She also claimed that the Goondas Act has been invoked in this case without following the due procedure of law, or application of mind.
Shankar was arrested on May 4 for making disparaging remarks against the women police personnel in the state. He has been booked for several offences, including stalking, possession of ganja, forgery, and harassment of women.