Chennai: In a major administrative turnaround, the Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, has officially revoked the preventive detention order against controversial YouTuber and political commentator A Shankar, popularly known as 'Savukku' Shankar.

The decision to set aside the stringent Goondas Act detention was formalised following an official assessment from the state's Advisory Board, which concluded that there was no sufficient cause to justify his continued incarceration.

The state's Home, Prohibition and Excise Department subsequently issued an order directing that Shankar be released immediately from prison, provided he is not required in connection with any other legal matters.

The dramatic shift follows a series of rapidly unfolding events.

The Goondas slap: The Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner had initially slapped the restrictive preventive detention order under the Tamil Nadu Goondas Act on Shankar in April 2026, citing an underlying attempt-to-murder case.

The judicial relief: Prior to the state government's executive intervention, a Vacation Bench of the Madras High Court had granted conditional bail to Shankar in the primary attempt-to-murder case. The court critically observed that the commentator was already well within police custody at the time the alleged incident was said to have occurred.

Executive backtrack: Facing persistent legal challenges from Shankar's defense team alongside escalating public scrutiny over the use of preventive detention laws, the newly formed administration under Chief Minister Vijay chose to withdraw the order entirely.