4 months ago
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Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava connected Wednesday (January 21, 2026) came down heavy connected the counsel for YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar alias A. Shankar for accusing Justice P. Velmurugan of being biased against his lawsuit successful a petition filed by the Greater Chennai City Police to cancel the interim bail granted to him.
When the advocator made a notation earlier the archetypal Division Bench, besides comprising Justice G. Arul Murugan, and complained that Justice Velmurugan had termed his lawsuit a “blackmailer,” the Chief Justice said, immoderate bid passed by the tribunal could beryllium taken connected entreaty alternatively of engaging successful mudslinging against judges.
“You are making an allegation of bias against whom?” the Chief Justice asked the counsel and said: “Don’t usage the tribunal proceedings and indulge successful this benignant of abuse.” He besides wondered however a lawyer, with 39 years of lasting successful the Bar, could level specified allegations against a justice earlier different Bench.
On being told that a Division Bench led by Justice Velmurugan had reserved orders connected the bail cancellation petition connected Tuesday (January 20), the Chief Justice said: “If immoderate bid is passed, situation it. What benignant of allegation are you making? Just due to the fact that you whitethorn endure immoderate adverse order, you are making these benignant of allegations?”
The Chief Justice went connected to state: “This is not the close spot to marque specified allegations. You person a remedy nether the law. If you are aggrieved by the order, spell connected appeal. Don’t indulge successful mudslinging. How agelong person you been successful practice, Mr. Counsel? Don’t you recognize it cannot beryllium done similar this?”
The Chief Justice said, a notation of this quality could not beryllium made earlier the archetypal Division Bench connected the judicial side. “We volition not licence this signifier astatine all. Please bash not bash it earlier this court. We volition not let the tribunal proceedings to beryllium misused and abused successful this manner,” helium told the counsel.
What is the proceeding about?
A Christmas abrogation Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and P. Dhanabal had granted interim bail to the YouTuber successful December 2025 successful transportation with 17 transgression cases pending against him aft considering that helium was a cardiac and diabetic patient, whose liberty had been curtailed repeatedly by the police.
However, aft the vacation, the metropolis constabulary filed an exertion for the cancellation of the interim bail connected the crushed that the YouTuber was not suffering immoderate large wellness issues arsenic was projected by his parent earlier the tribunal for the intent of obtaining interim bail, and that helium was regularly posting videos pursuant to his release.
The constabulary besides accused Mr. Shankar of threatening the victims, arsenic good arsenic the witnesses, successful immoderate of the transgression cases pending against him and said, successful 1 of his YouTube videos, helium had gone to the grade of calling the investigating serviceman successful an extortion lawsuit against him, a murderer.
When the bail cancellation petition was taken up for proceeding by a Division Bench comprising Justices Velmurugan and M. Jothiraman connected January 19, the YouTuber’s counsel filed a petition alleging bias against the elder justice successful the Bench. However, the justice refused to recuse from the case.
“You cannot blackmail the Bench too,” Justice Velmurugan said and told his counsel that helium had ne'er ever recused from proceeding immoderate lawsuit successful his judicial vocation spanning implicit 20 years (11 years arsenic a territory justice and 9 years arsenic a High Court judge) and that helium would not recuse from this lawsuit either.
Thereafter, the Bench led by Justice Velmurugan heard the arguments precocious by Additional Public Prosecutor R. Muniyapparaj and the YouTuber’s counsel connected Tuesday and decided to pronounce orders connected Friday (January 23). In the meantime, the counsel ended up making a notation earlier the Chief Justice.
