CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday modified the conditions of interim bail granted to YouTuber Savukku Shankar, restraining him from making any public statements and directing a medical board to assess his health condition.
Savukku was arrested on December 13 last year based on cheating cases registered against him by the Adambakkam and Saidapet police.
In a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother, A Kamala, seeking his release on medical grounds, the HC granted Savukku interim bail until March 25. When the petition (filed by the Saidapet Inspector of Police) seeking cancellation of interim bail came up for hearing before a Bench of Justices P Velmurugan and M Jothiraman, the court heard arguments from all sides and pronounced its orders on Friday.
In the present case, the interim bail was granted solely to safeguard the medical and constitutional rights of the accused. While the judges decided not to cancel Savukku’s bail, they imposed the following modified conditions: Savukku shall not make any statement or comment about cases he involved, directly or indirectly, in any manner whatsoever, and shall not contact, interact, or communicate with the co-accused.
The court also added that any violation of the above conditions would be viewed seriously and may result in cancellation of the interim bail without further reference to this Court. It also directed the setting up of a medical board to assess his medical condition and asked the team to submit its report by February 3.
The court further observed that video journalists must adhere to high ethical standards to maintain public trust and credibility. In the digital age, they are on the front lines in combating misinformation and disinformation.