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Hearing a plea against the second detention of independent journalist and YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar in connection with his alleged “derogatory remarks” in an interview, the Supreme Court said on Friday that the Tamil Nadu government is targeting Shankar and using its power to “ensure that he stays in prison”.
Shankar had reportedly made remarks on women police personnel during an interview with YouTube channel RedPix 24x7 on April 30 and was put under preventive detention under the Tamil Nadu Goondas Act on May 4. Subsequently, a total of at least 16 FIRs were filed against Shankar across the state in connection with his statements.
On July 18, the Supreme Court ordered the interim release of Shankar, and the Madras High Court quashed the state’s order of detention on August 9. Three days later, the court was informed that Shankar was granted bail but detained indefinitely again on the same day in connection with an NDPS case. On August 14, the Supreme Court also stayed coercive proceedings against him in the 16 FIRs.The matter will be next heard on August 27.
During the Friday hearing, Justice JB Pardiwala, accompanied by Justice Manoj Misra, asked the Tamil Nadu government’s counsel, “Why are you doing all this? This is the same matter where you are after this man. He comes out, and you immediately put him behind bars.”
Meanwhile, Shankar’s counsel emphasised that the journalist was “exercising his right to free speech”, for which the state was “not prosecuting, but persecuting him”.
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