Madras HC Restrains Police From Filing Chargesheet Against YouTuber Savukku Shankar

The Madras High Court on Monday restrained the Chennai police from filing a final report in an attempt-to-murder case registered against YouTuber Savukku Shankar. The case relates to an alleged attack on police personnel while Shankar was being escorted to the Puzhal Central prison in the Puzhal area of Chennai.

Justice M Nirmal Kumar passed the interim order and adjourned the next hearing to June 19. This adjournment will allow the prosecution time to file its response to a plea moved by Shankar, who is seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against him.

The charges against Shankar and four of his associates arise from an incident on April 8. According to the police, Shankar had been arrested in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, after evading authorities. While police officers were escorting him to Puzhal prison, his accomplices—identified as K Malathi, S Gopinath, Praveen, and Raju—arrived at the scene in a car.

The police alleged that the group blocked the transit, initiated a quarrel with the escorting team, and pelted stones at the officers.

Following the incident, the police registered an FIR against Shankar and the four individuals under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges filed include Section 109(1) for attempt to murder, Section 296(b) for uttering obscene words, Section 125 for acts endangering the personal safety of others, Section 132 for using criminal force to deter a public servant, and Section 351(3) for criminal intimidation.

The dispute follows a separate legal issue where Shankar was arrested on December 13, 2025, for allegedly extorting money from a film producer. He was subsequently released on interim bail on medical grounds.

After his interim bail expired on March 25, Shankar failed to surrender to the authorities and absconded, leading to his eventual arrest in Andhra Pradesh on April 8 and the subsequent altercation during his transfer to Puzhal.