‘Savukku’ Shankar gets bail in attempt-to-murder case

The Madras High Court granted bail to YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar alias A. Shankar (50) in an attempt to murder case filed against him for allegedly throwing stones at the escort police personnel who accompanied him to Chennai after his arrest in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, on April 8, 2026.

Justice L. Victoria Gowri agreed to the relief on the condition that the petitioner appears before the Puzhal police station inspector every day after release from jail until further orders. He was also instructed to cooperate with the investigation and participate in police investigations when necessary.

habeas corpus petition

Meanwhile, a summer bench comprising Justices Gowri and N. Senthilkumar ordered Mr. Shankar’s 26-year-old nephew D. Bharath to file a returnable notice with the Greater Chennai City Police within a week on a habeas corpus petition (HCP) challenging his uncle’s preventive detention under the Goondas Act.

The HCP will be listed for hearing before the next adjournment of the Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan on May 20, 2026. The Greater Chennai Police Commissioner issued the arrest warrant on April 9, 2026, on the basis of the attempt to murder case and other criminal cases pending against him.

However, in his bail application, Mr Shankar had denied that the stone-pelting incident took place on April 8, which falls under the jurisdiction of Puzhal police. He accused the police of making up a “fabricated story” to disrupt public order and, as a result, invoking the preventive detention law against him.

What is the case about?

According to the prosecution, Mr. Shankar was arrested in Ongole for not surrendering at Puzhal central jail even after expiry of bail in another criminal case. A special police team secured him in Ongole after a long chase and brought him to Chennai by road on April 8.

He asked them to stop the vehicle on the way for a personal break as he was a diabetic, so the police stopped the vehicle near Kavankarai in Puzhal. The other four accused – K. Malathi, S. Gopinath, Praveen and Raju – had followed the police vehicle from Ongole.

Suddenly, all five accused gathered on the road, argued with the police personnel, insulted them with obscene words and started throwing stones at them, thus disrupting public order. Following this, Puzhal police registered an attempt to murder case against them and sent them to judicial custody.

The FIR was registered under Sections 296(b) (uttering obscene words), 125 (indulging in acts endangering the personal safety of others), 132 (using criminal force to deter public servants), 109(1) (attempt to murder) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.