YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar
The Madras High Court has granted bail to YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar alias A. Shankar, 50, in an attempt to murder case registered against him after he allegedly pelted stones at escort police personnel accompanying him to Chennai following his arrest in Ongola, Andhra Pradesh on April 8, 2026.
Justice L. Victoria Gowri granted the relief on the condition that the petitioner, after his release from jail, must report to Inspector Puzhal police station every day until further orders. He was further ordered to co-operate with the investigation and attend police inquiries if necessary.
Petition of Habeas corpus
Meanwhile, a summer vacation bench comprising Justices Gowri and N. Senthilkumar also ordered a week’s returnable notice to the Greater Chennai City Police on a habeas corpus petition (HCP) filed by Mr. Shankar’s nephew D. Bharath, 26, challenging his uncle’s preventive detention under the Goondas Act.
The HCP is scheduled to be listed for hearing before the next vacation bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan on 20 May 2026. The Greater Chennai Police Commissioner issued the arrest warrant on 9 April 2026 based on the attempted murder case and other criminal cases pending against him.
However, in his bail application, Mr. Shankar denied the occurrence of the April 8 stone-pelting incident in Puzhal police jurisdiction. He accused the police of concocting a “concocted story” to prove public disorder and subsequently invoked the preventive detention law against him.
What is it about?
According to the prosecution, Mr. Shankar was arrested in Ongola for not surrendering at Puzhal Central Jail even after the expiry of bail in another criminal case. A special police team nabbed him in Ongola after a long chase and brought him to Chennai by road on April 8.
Being a diabetic, he asked them to stop the vehicle on the way for a personal break, so the police stopped the vehicle at Kavankarai in Puzhal. The other four accused – K. Malathi, S. Gopinath, Praveen and Raju – followed the police vehicle all the way from Ongole.
Suddenly, all the five accused gathered on the road, picked up an altercation with the policemen, abused them with obscene words and started pelting stones at them, disturbing public order. Therefore, the Puzhal police registered a case of attempted murder against them and sent them to judicial custody.
The FIR was registered under Sections 296(b) (uttering obscene words), 125 (engaging in acts endangering the personal safety of others), 132 (use of criminal force to intimidate a public servant), 109(1) (attempt to murder) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) Bharatiya, 203 Nayaya
Published – 13 May 2026 15:05 IST
