CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has given a reprieve to YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar by refusing to cancel his interim bail as sought by the police. However, the court modified the bail conditions by imposing stricter ones to gag him and restrict his movement other than for medical and legal assistance.
Shankar was arrested on December 13, 2025, based on the FIRs registered over alleged extortion, and was released on bail following the interim bail order passed by a vacation bench on December 26, 2025.
“While this court is not inclined to cancel the interim bail at this stage, additional and more explicit restrictions are warranted,” a division bench of justices P Velmurugan and M Jothiraman said in an order passed on Friday. The modified conditions included him not making any statement or comment against the complaint, complainant, investigation officer, the course of the investigation or any other pending cases through social media or any public forum. He should not contact, interact or communicate with the co-accused or any of the witnesses in the case, and should not attempt to influence, intimidate or interfere with them, the conditions stated. The court warned that violation of any of the conditions may result in cancellation of the bail without any further reference to this court.
The bench ordered the dean of Rajiv Gandhi Govt General Hospital to constitute a special medical team and examine the health condition of Shankar on February 2, and submit the report in a sealed cover to the court the following day, and disposed of the petition filed by the police.