CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the State to produce all the files regarding the detention of whistleblower and YouTuber 'Savukku'Shankar under the Goondas Act.
A vacation bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice PB Balaji heard a petition moved by Shankar's mother A Kamala seeking to quash her son's detention under the Goondas Act on the grounds that he is allegedly suffering severe health complications due to alleged custodial torture.
While hearing the petition, the bench directed the police to submit all the files related to Shankar's detention and fixed the matter for hearing at 2:15 pm today.
The petitioner alleged that her son had stood up against the failures of the government and exposed various scams involving politicians and bureaucrats.
His detention displays the vengeance unleashed by the police with malafide intentions and is completely motivated, said the petitioner.
The petitioner said that as his detention under the Goondas Act was not done as per due procedure of law and without exercising proper application of mind, it is liable to be quashed.
'Savukku' Shankar was arrested on May 4 by the Coimbatore cyber crime police over his disparaging remarks against women police personnel in a YouTube interview. Since then, he has been booked for several offences, including for possession of ganja, forgery, stalking, harassment of women, and for comments on
Thevar community patriarch Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar.
His mother had already moved another petition before the High Court alleging that the Coimbatore prison officials had physically tortured her son, and sought a State Human Rights Commission investigation.