A YouTube personality, A. Shankar, also known as “Savukku” Shankar aged 48 years old has gone to the Madras High Court seeking orders from Hon’ble Court to direct the DGP (Director General of Police) to merge all the seventeen First Information Reports (FIRs) which were registered against him at different police stations all over Tamil Nadu concerning an interview given by him on a YouTube channel relating to women police’s behaviour.
The petition is coming up for hearing before Justice G. Jayachandran on Thursday, August 8, 2024. In his affidavit sworn in support of this application, the detenue declared that the first FIR regarding this interview was charged against him by Coimbatore cyber crime police on a complaint that he spoke ill about women personnel. Subsequently several cases were filed across districts based on a single interview.
“I don’t deny my fault; I agree that had I deliberately spoken so then any such words would be subject to court’s decisions,” stated the applicant and added that he was being intentionally dragged from one court to another only to victimize him although Puzhal central prison and courts were equipped with video conference facilities.
The petitioner referred himself as a whistle-blower who had been exposing alleged misgovernance and wrong doings of bureaucrats while mentioning that multiple criminal cases have been remitted against him since earlier arrest made on May 4 followed by detention under Goondas Act for revenge. He went further alleging that the police are acting “under political bosses.”
To continue with what he said above, it led to filing of FIRs against TV interviews he gave in respect of lady cops in police stations located in Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Madurai, Dindigul, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Perambalur Nagapattinam, The Nilgiris, Sivagangai, Karur, Salem and Tirunelveli. A daunting task for him to travel from one district to another challenging every case.
“I strongly believe that the cases foisted against me are all false and done only to prevent me from being free. Because, if I am free and in public, I would question and raise my voice of dissent against the people in power,” the petitioner said and sought a direction to club all the cases. He also stated to have given a representation in this regard to the DGP as well as Additional DGP (Headquarters) on July 24th .
