Supreme Court Grants Relief to YouTuber Savukku Shankar Amid Detention Dispute
New Delhi, India – The Supreme Court has provided temporary relief to YouTuber Savukku Shankar while the Madras High Court decides on the legality of his detention. The court dismissed a transfer petition filed by Shankar’s mother, A Kamala, and left the decision on his detention to the Madras High Court.
The Supreme Court questioned whether Shankar posed a threat to national security and clarified that the interim order only pertains to the detention matter. If Shankar is jailed for other reasons, this order will not apply.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah stated, “Transfer Petition (by Shankar’s mother) has been dismissed as withdrawn.” The court noted that the Madras High Court has not yet given a final opinion on the legality of Shankar’s detention.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave and advocate Balaji Srinivasan represented Shankar’s mother, while Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra appeared for the Tamil Nadu State. The counsels agreed to request the Madras High Court to expedite the matter.
On May 24, 2024, the Madras High Court delivered a split verdict on Shankar’s detention. One judge quashed the detention order, while another allowed the state to file a counter-petition. The matter was then referred to a third judge.
Shankar’s mother sought to transfer the case to the Supreme Court, citing political harassment. The petition challenged two interim orders from the Madras High Court and argued that Shankar’s detention violated his constitutional rights under Articles 19(1)(a), 21, and 22.
Shankar was detained by Tamil Nadu police on May 12, 2024, under the Tamil Nadu Act 14 of 1982, branding him a ‘goonda’ for activities deemed harmful to public peace. His mother filed a Habeas Corpus Petition on May 20, 2024, challenging the detention.
The petition claimed that Shankar, a whistleblower, was being wrongfully detained to suppress his freedom of speech and expression.
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Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes important decisions about laws and justice.
YouTuber -: A YouTuber is someone who makes videos and shares them on YouTube, a popular video-sharing website.
Savukku Shankar -: Savukku Shankar is a person who makes videos on YouTube and talks about different issues. He is currently in a legal dispute.
Madras High Court -: The Madras High Court is a big court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It handles important legal cases in that region.
detention -: Detention means being kept in a place, like a jail, and not being allowed to leave. It usually happens when someone is suspected of breaking the law.
legality -: Legality means whether something is allowed by law or not. In this case, it means whether keeping Shankar in detention is legal.
transfer petition -: A transfer petition is a request to move a legal case from one court to another. Shankar’s mother wanted his case moved to a different court.
national security threat -: A national security threat is something or someone that could harm the safety of the whole country. The court is checking if Shankar is such a threat.
split verdict -: A split verdict means that the judges did not all agree on the decision. Some judges thought one way, and others thought differently.
constitutional rights -: Constitutional rights are the basic rights given to all people by the Constitution of India. These include freedom of speech and the right to be treated fairly.
freedom of speech -: Freedom of speech means you can say what you think without being punished, as long as you don’t break any laws.