Chennai, May 20: The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order for the immediate release of YouTuber and journalist A. Shankar, known as ‘Savukku’ Shankar. The state advisory board found insufficient grounds to continue his detention under the Tamil Nadu Preventive Detention Act, 1982.
In an order released on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), the government stated that Shankar should be released immediately, provided he is not in custody for any other case or serving a sentence.
This decision came after the advisory board reviewed the grounds for detention under Section 10 of the Tamil Nadu Preventive Detention Act. The board examined the documents presented by the detaining agency and also heard Shankar’s oral arguments.
According to the government order, the advisory board unanimously concluded that there was no sufficient justification to continue Shankar’s preventive detention. Following this, the state government accepted the board’s recommendation and ordered his release.
This marks the third time that the preventive detention against Shankar has been revoked. Previously, in August 2024, the Madras High Court dismissed his initial preventive detention.
However, shortly after, he was re-arrested in Theni district under the NDPS Act.
Recently, Shankar was arrested on April 8, 2026, in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh. He was accused of throwing stones at a police escort team during his transportation to Chennai, leading to an attempted murder charge.
Last week, the Madras High Court granted him bail in this case, considering the progress of the investigation.
With the Tamil Nadu government’s cancellation of his preventive detention, the path for Shankar’s release has now been cleared. His arrest and detention have sparked ongoing political and public debate.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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