CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has revoked the detention of a YouTuber, Varaaki, under the Goondas Act, finding that he was targeted by the state authorities who also failed to follow due procedure.
The order was passed by a division bench of Justices Anita Sumanth and Sunder Mohan recently on a petition by the YouTuber’s wife Neelima, praying for quashing the detention order issued by the Greater Chennai police commissioner on December 3, 2025.
Pointing to the grounds case of harassment of a woman, who is the wife of the owner of a building which the YouTuber had rented, the bench said a question arises as to whether the offence alleged constitutes a threat to public order under the Goondas Act.
“In our considered view, the mere statements of the authority to the effect that public order would be violated sans any material to support the same is mere ipse dixit (unsupported assertion) unsustainable in law,” the bench said in the recent order. It also cited the procedural lapses in furnishing grounds of arrest to the detenue.
“In view of the detailed discussion, we are left in no doubt he detenue has unnecessarily been targeted by the state and for this reason, while allowing the HCP (habeas corpus petition), we impose costs of `50,000 payable to him within four weeks,” the bench said and ordered his immediate release.