The Madras High Court vacation bench has directed the prison authorities to consider the plea of A. Kamala, mother of YouTuber Savukku Shankar, for shifting her son from Coimbatore prison to any other jail as she feared a threat to his life and had complained of custodial violence.
The division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices A.D. Jagadish Chandira and R. Kalaimathi on Thursday closed the habeas corpus petition (HCP) filed by A. Kamala and passed the orders after hearing senior counsel R. John Sathyan for the petitioner and Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak for the prison authorities.
The judges also took note that Shankar had been taken to Coimbatore Government Medical College Hospital on Thursday to examine his complaint of pain in the right forearm.
Meanwhile, the Coimbatore District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) has submitted a report to the Coimbatore Judicial first class magistrate stating that the prisoner had complained of pain in his right forearm and therefore, it was essential to take an X-ray and also get an opinion from a plastic surgeon.
The Magistrate had passed an order on Wednesday directing the Coimbatore prison authorities to take him to the medical college hospital forthwith for examination.
The first-class judicial magistrate had refrained from going into the merits of the allegations of custodial violence. This was because it was not clear whether the injuries had been sustained due to the alleged attack or during a road accident that occurred on May 4 when the prisoner was transported to Coimbatore after his arrest in Theni.
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The Additional Public Prosecutor stoutly denied any kind of attack on the prisoner by the prison officials. Advocate John Sathyan appearing for Shankar said that the petitioner will take up the issue of custodial violence with the Human Rights Commission.
Savukku Shankar was arrested on May 4 by the Coimbatore Police for his alleged defamatory statement against women police personnel.
