Chennai police at liberty to arrest ‘Savukku Shankar’ if required, orders Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has granted liberty to the Greater Chennai City Police (GCCP) to arrest YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar alias A. Shankar if his custody was required in connection with an extortion case for which he was arrested on December 13, 2025, but subsequently granted interim bail till March 25, 2026.

A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and M. Jothiraman refused to extend the interim bail granted for a period of three months by a Christmas vacation Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and P. Dhanabal on December 27, 2025, following a writ petition and a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother.

“This court is of the view that the interim relief earlier granted on medical grounds does not warrant any further continuation. Accordingly, it is open to the investigating agency to proceed further in accordance with law in connection with the pending criminal cases and, if the custody of the son of the petitioner/detenu is considered necessary for the purpose of investigation, the respondents are at liberty to take appropriate steps in accordance with law,” the Bench led by Justice Velmurugan observed.

The observations were made while dismissing the habeas corpus petition (HCP) and disposing of the writ petition. The HCP was filed on December 26, 2025, alleging that the petitioner’s son had been kept in solitary confinement at the central prison at Puzhal near Chennai and the writ petition (criminal side) was filed seeking specialised medical treatment for him since he was a cardiac patient and a diabetic.

However, after the grant of interim bail, a Medical Board at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai examined the health condition of the petitioner’s son on the basis of court orders and opined that he does not require any specialised treatment at present.

“Based on the available records, the medical history from Mr. A. Shankar, his clinical examination and investigations, the board opines that Mr. A. Shankar suffers from chronic medical ailments: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Systemic Hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease (status post drug eluting stent). He requires no active cardiac intervention at present. His general condition is stable with cardiac and diabetes medications. He needs to continue optimal medical management along with lifestyle modifications,” the report read.

Hence, the judges disposed of the writ petition with a direction to the police and prison authorities to provide adequate medical care to the petitioner’s son as and when required. Insofar as the allegation of solitary confinement during his incarceration was concerned, the Bench did not find any material to support the charge levelled against the prison authorities.

“Except making a bald allegation that the detenu was kept in isolation, no document or material has been produced before this court to establish that the detenu was subjected to punitive solitary confinement in violation of the prison rules. On the contrary, the materials placed before this court and the subsequent conduct of the detenu indicate that the present proceedings have been initiated primarily with a view to evade the course of investigation and the due process of law. Therefore, this court finds no merit in the allegation relating to solitary confinement,” the Bench concluded.