CHENNAI: The Madras High Court granted interim bail to YouTuber Savukku Shankar, observing that dissent is a democratic right and cautioned that the law should not be used to target individuals.

Shankar was arrested on December 13 on the allegation that he had extorted money from a film producer. Shankar's mother submitted that a day before the arrest, on December 12, one of the employees of Shankar's media company received Rs 94,000 through GPay from an unknown person.

While the employee was in the process of filing a complaint regarding the unauthorised transfer, the police arrested Shankar from his residence after a prolonged standoff.

Shankar's mother, A Kamala, filed a petition seeking medical treatment for him and temporary bail until such medical examination is completed. A separate petition was also filed to restrain the prison superintendent from keeping Shankar in solitary confinement.

When the case came up for hearing before Justices SM Subramaniam and P Dhanabal, the bench observed: "Why are you running behind journalists? To criticise is a democratic right. In the Legislative Assembly, criticism is respected."

The court further said that if the authorities wanted to act against persons making baseless allegations, they could approach the civil court with a defamation suit and seek an injunction. It also observed that the law should not be used to target individuals and that repeated clampdowns would send a wrong signal to citizens.

Taking note of the submissions, and considering the inmate's medical condition and the repeated curtailment of his liberty, the court said it was inclined to grant interim bail from December 26, 2025. Shankar shall surrender before the authorities on or before March 25, 2026, the court added.