Torrent of FIRs against him, Tamil YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar remains in jail despite Supreme Court relief

The first FIR in connection with the interview was filed against him by the Coimbatore Cyber Crime Police. Following this, there was a cascade of similar cases across multiple districts, including Tiruchi, Madurai, Dindigul, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Perambalur, Nagapattinam, the Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Salem, and Tirunelveli. The FIRs were filed based on complaints by women police officers or their family members.

In his affidavit to the Madras High Court, Shankar expressed frustration over what he called continuous legal harassment, stating that he was being paraded before different courts despite the availability of video conferencing facilities.

He said he is a whistleblower, who has exposed alleged misgovernance and bureaucratic corruption, and that is why his case was being deliberately handled this way to stifle his voice.

After his arrest, photographs of Shankar being taken to several courts in the state have gone viral, with many pointing out on social media that he was always being escorted by women police officers.

He claimed that while he was not “defending my actions”, the multiple FIRs filed against him were a tactic to prevent his release.

On Thursday, the High Court heard his petition. The government counsel sought time to verify the claims in the petition about the nature of cases pending against him. Further hearings are scheduled to take place three weeks later.

Shankar, popularly known as ‘Savukku’, was previously an employee with the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, and was suspended for his alleged role in leaking an audio tape to the media that had led to the resignation of a DMK minister.

In the YouTube interview that led to his arrest, Shankar had 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.

G Felix Jerald, who is the owner of the YouTube channel Red Pix 24×7, and who had conducted the controversial interview, was also arrested.

Last week, the High Court directed Jerald to shut down his channel as a precondition for bail. Justice T V Thamilselvi mandated that Jerald file an affidavit committing to refrain from similar activities in the future and imposed a gag order preventing him from discussing the case publicly until the trial concludes.

On July 18, the Supreme Court had ordered the interim release of Shankar as he had been detained under the Goondas Act since May. However, as he has several cases against him under which his arrest was registered, he has not been released as he has not got bail in all of them.