From vigilance official to firebrand YouTuber – how ‘Savukku’ Shankar became controversy’s favourite child

On Thursday, the Madras High Court heard multiple petitions involving Shankar and raised concerns regarding the influence of online content platforms.

“Some YouTube channels are turning out to be a menace to society,” said Justice K Kumaresh Babu, who was part of a Bench that also comprised Justices A D Jagadish Chandira and R Kalaimathi. They heard petitions concerning anticipatory bail, custodial violence, and requests to transfer Shankar from Coimbatore Central Prison.

Shankar’s mother, A Kamala, had also filed a habeas corpus petition, seeking a judicial inquiry into alleged violence against her son in prison. Police officers have rejected the allegation and attributed injuries sustained by him to a road accident on May 4, which they said took place on the way from Theni to Coimbatore after his arrest.

Shankar was arrested on May 4 over a recent interview on YouTube, in which alleged that many women police constables and sub-inspectors in Tamil Nadu were making “compromises” with senior male officers for convenient transfers, postings, and promotions.

He was arrested on charges such as insulting the modesty of a woman and deterring a public servant from discharge of duty. He has also been slapped with a case for alleged possession of ganja during his arrest by Theni police.

On Thursday, the Madras High Court heard multiple petitions involving Shankar and raised concerns regarding the influence of online content platforms. (File)

While Shankar’s arrest came on the back of a Coimbatore City Police sub-inspector’s complaint, police in Chennai have also filed two cases against him based on a complaint from a journalist and a Tamilar Munnetra Padai leader. These cases also stem from the interview, and Felix Gerald, the manager of YouTube channel RedPix, has been named as co-accused. It was Gerald who conducted the interview.

Before becoming a YouTuber, Shankar was an employee of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC). He first gained public attention in 2008 when he leaked audio recordings exposing illegal wiretapping practices by law enforcement agencies in Tamil Nadu, which had resulted in the resignation of a DMK minister. Despite facing arrest at the time, Shankar emerged as a vocal critic of corruption.

He then went on to start Savukku Media, which comprises a web portal and a YouTube channel.

Over the years, Shankar’s reach has expanded, particularly on YouTube, where he amassed a significant following for his unfiltered commentary on political and social issues.

He has strongly criticised the DMK for his arrest and alleged custodial torture in 2008 while the party was in power.

In 2022, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment over remarks against the judiciary, only to be released after two months following intervention by the Supreme Court. Shankar continued his activism after his release, publishing a book detailing his experiences behind bars. A prominent OTT platform had even signed agreements to make a web series on his life, but later abandoned the project.

In recent years, however, he has been criticised for taking positions seen as being aligned with the AIADMK. He also recently announced that he would contest against DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin in the 2026 Assembly elections.

In 2014, the Madras High Court had ordered that Shankar’s Tamil website be blocked for being “vituperative and tarnishing the reputation” of many prominent people, including judges and police officers. Despite the ban, the website continued to function via proxy URLs, including ones in the name of a former judge who had ordered its blocking.