Published May 20, 2026 | 5:35 PM ⚊ Updated May 20, 2026 | 5:35 PM
Savukku Shankar
Synopsis: The Tamil Nadu government has revoked the preventive detention order against YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar after an Advisory Board found no sufficient cause to continue his detention under the ‘Goondas Act’. Shankar was arrested from his Chennai residence on 13 December in an alleged extortion case involving ₹2 lakh and claimed the charges were false and part of a political vendetta by the then ruling DMK.
The Tamil Nadu government has revoked the preventive detention order issued against YouTuber A ‘Savukku’ Shankar (50), citing insufficient cause for his detention under the Tamil Nadu Preventive Detention Act, 1982, popularly known as the Goondas Act.
The order comes more than six months after Shankar was detained from his residence in Chennai on 13 December for allegedly extorting ₹2 lakh from a film producer. The arrest was his ninth since 2021, when the MK Stalin-led DMK first assumed power.
A Government Order (GO Rt No.2977) issued by the Home, Prohibition and Excise Department on 19 May said the grounds of detention and related records had been placed before the Advisory Board under Section 10 of the Tamil Nadu Preventive Detention Act, 1982.
The board found “no sufficient cause” to keep him detained “unless he has been detained under any other law or is serving any sentence having been convicted by any Court.”
“The Advisory Board perused the grounds of detention, report of the detaining authority sent to the Government, the connected records and also heard the oral representation of the detenu. The Advisory Board has expressed its unanimous opinion that there is no sufficient cause for the detention of Thiru. A.Shankar @ Savukku Shankar,” the order stated.
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Shankar’s arrest had drawn condemnation. Police said Shankar resisted arrest, forcing them to break into the house. Shankar had reportedly insisted he would open the door only after his lawyers arrived. Police forced their way in around 2 pm after a prolonged standoff.
While police did not issue an official statement on the arrest, Shankar alleged in a video that he had been arrested on false extortion charges.
Shankar alleged the DMK was behind the episode. He made the allegation while getting into the police vehicle.
Police also searched his residence and office following the arrest.
As news of Shankar’s arrest spread, several political leaders and journalists condemned the action.
The AIADMK said the Stalin-led government was using state machinery against journalists and media houses that did not support it. The party demanded Shankar’s immediate release.
BJP state president Nainar Nagendran condemned the arrest, described the DMK government as fascist and accused it of throttling freedom of expression.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, whose party is allied with the DMK, termed the arrest “blatant harassment” despite his disagreement with Shankar’s views.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
