Just days after the Madras High Court quashed the Goondas Act invoked against YouTuber A Shankar, also known as ‘Savukku’ Shankar, the Tamil Nadu government has yet again detained him under the stringent act. On Monday, August 12, the Theni district administration slapped Goondas Act on the YouTuber in connection with a case filed against him in May for the possession of ganja.
The Madras HC, on August 9, quashed the Goondas Act on Shankar saying that there must be a “real threat or apprehension of large scale disturbance” among the people to invoke the term 'Public Disorder' and detain a person. “This Court does not find merit in the Detention Order issued by the 2nd respondent. Therefore there are serious doubts in the detention of the detenu in the present case as there is no sufficient ground to establish the breach of public order,” the court said, adding that Shankar can be released if his detention was not needed in any other case.
Shankar was earlier detained under Goondas Act, May 12, based on the orders passed by Chennai Commissioner of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore. The Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Cyber law offenders, Drug-offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Forest-offenders, Sand-offenders, Sexual-offenders, Slum-grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982, is shortly referred to as The Goondas Act. It is a stringent act that allows authorities to do preventive detention of habitual offenders, including murder accused, immoral traffic offenders, sexual offenders and other such offenders to prevent their dangerous activities that could be detrimental to public order. Within three weeks, the case has to be presented to an Advisory Board. The accused cannot get a bail till the detention order is cancelled by a court.
Shankar was booked in multiple cases for making derogatory remarks about police personnel. In an interview, he alleged that women police personnel were giving sexual favours to a senior police officer in order to get promotions.
