THE HURTFUL BLOGGER

YouTuber and blogger A Shankar posts regular articles on alleged corruption by politicians, government employees, journalists and judges. The Madras High Court has now sentenced him to a prison term for his claims that the "entire higher judiciary is plagued by corruption"

- Shashank Rai

STYLING himself as a whistleblower A Shankar, an activist and YouTuber, started a website called savukku.net (a whip), publishing regular articles on alleged corruption by politicians, government employees, journalists and judges. Many of these were without proof or evidence.

Now, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has taken a tough stand and sentenced him to a six-month jail-term, finding him guilty of criminal contempt. The Court had initiated suo motu proceedings against Shankar, following a remark made to a YouTube channel Red Pix on July 22, whereby he had claimed that the "entire higher judiciary is plagued by corruption."

"He cannot tar the entire institution with a single brush. That would be crossing the Lakshman Rekha by a long shot. It is not as if the said remark accidentally tumbled out of his mouth," held a bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and B Pugalendhi. The Court refused Shankar's request for a suspended sentence till an appeal is filed in the Supreme Court and ruled that Shankar's statements were scandalous and they "denigrate and deride the institution of judiciary." The bench further noted that Shankar did not show any regret or tender an apology and ordered that he be immediately taken into custody and lodged at Madurai Central Prison.