High Court Seeks State’s Stand on Bail Modification Plea
The Kerala High Court on October 23, 2025, sought the State’s response to a plea by Rapper Vedan (Hirandas V.M.) seeking to modify two conditions imposed by the Sessions Court while granting him pre-arrest bail in a sexual harassment case.
Justice C. Pratheep Kumar granted time to the prosecution to obtain instructions and posted the matter for hearing next week.
Background of Allegations
The prosecution has alleged that in December 2022, the petitioner took the de facto complainant, a research scholar in Dalit Music, to his flat under the guise of listening to music. Once inside, the petitioner allegedly spoke in sexually explicit terms, attempted to harass her, and forcefully kissed her as she tried to escape.
An FIR was registered at Ernakulam Central Police Station under Sections:
- 294(b) IPC – Obscene acts and songs
- 354 IPC – Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty
- 354A(1)(i) IPC – Sexual harassment
Following registration, Vedan approached the District and Sessions Court for pre-arrest bail, which was granted under certain conditions.
Existing Bail Conditions
The key conditions imposed were:
- Condition No. 3: The petitioner must appear before the investigating officer every Sunday between 10:00 am and 11:00 am.
- Condition No. 5: The petitioner cannot leave Kerala without prior Court permission.
Vedan had earlier requested deletion of Condition No. 5, which was partially modified, permitting travel outside Kerala from September 23 to October 23, 2025.
Plea for Modification
The petitioner has now approached the High Court seeking modification of Conditions 3 and 5, citing scheduled music shows in Colombo, Dubai, Qatar, France, and Germany from October to December 2025.
The plea submits:
“…stage shows are the only source of livelihood of the petitioner. Conditions 3 and 5 are onerous in the present facts and circumstances. Deletion of such conditions does not affect the investigation or prejudice any person.”
Related Proceedings
On the same day, the Court considered a petition by the de facto complainant, challenging a police notice to appear. The proceedings were closed after the prosecutor confirmed withdrawal of the notice.
It is notable that the High Court had recently granted anticipatory bail to the rapper in a separate case alleging rape on false promise to marry.
Case Details
- Case Title: Hirandas V.M. v. State of Kerala
- Case No.: Crl.M.C. No. 9448 of 2025
- Court: Kerala High Court
- Bench: Justice C. Pratheep Kumar
- Counsel for Petitioner: Advocates C. Dheeraj Rajan, Anand Kalyanakrishnan, Libin Varghese
- Counsel for State: Prosecutor (awaiting instructions)
