IPS Officer A. Arun Files ₹1 Crore Defamation Suit Against YouTuber Savukku Shankar

Indian Police Service (IPS) officer A. Arun has filed a defamation suit in Chennai against YouTuber 'Savukku' Shankar alias A. Shankar, seeking damages of over ₹1 crore along with 12% interest per annum from the date of filing until the realization of the amount.

In his plaint, the officer stated that he is entitled to damages for loss of reputation, emotional distress, mental agony, professional harm, and violation of his dignity and privacy. The claims stem from a series of YouTube videos published by the defendant levelling various allegations against him.

Mr. Arun requested a permanent injunction restraining Mr. Shankar, as well as his agents, representatives, followers, and any individuals acting on his behalf, from publishing, republishing, broadcasting, uploading, circulating, sharing, or posting defamatory content against him. He also urged the court to prohibit the dissemination of insinuations or imputations referring to him by name, photograph, designation, initials, pseudonym, code name, description, or any indirect identification across print, digital, audio-visual, or electronic media.

Additionally, the plaintiff prayed for directions to YouTube and X Corp to take down and remove listed posts, tweets, and videos deemed defamatory, and urged the court to direct the YouTuber to pay the costs incurred for filing the lawsuit.

Pending disposal of the suit, Mr. Arun pleaded for an interim injunction restraining Mr. Shankar and his associates from circulating defamatory allegations. He also sought interim directions for YouTube and X Corp to remove the content immediately, stating that its presence in the public domain damages his reputation and several years of unblemished service.

The officer asserted that there is no truth to the corruption and other allegations made against him, describing the content as part of a continuous vilification campaign on social media.