Kochi: Kochi City police have filed chargesheets against rapper Hirandas Murali, popularly known by his stage name Vedan, in two separate cases.

In the first case, Thrikkakara police submitted a chargesheet in a sexual-assault case based on a complaint filed by a young doctor who alleges that Vedan raped her on the pretext of marriage. The police said that the probe unearthed evidence supporting the complainant’s claims. According to the complaint, the woman, a fan of Vedan, met him through social media.

The first alleged assault occurred when they met at an apartment in Kozhikode to discuss a social-media post. The complaint states that Vedan repeatedly sexually abused her between 2021 and 2023 in Kochi while assuring her he intended to marry her; she says she was lured into a romantic relationship and later abandoned. The Thrikkakara police inspector submitted the chargesheet at the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court, Thrikkakara.

A separate chargesheet was filed by Hill Palace police in a ganja seizure case. Vedan and eight others were booked for allegedly consuming ganja at a Vyttila flat while preparing for a music show in April. Hill Palace police say they recovered about six grams of suspected ganja at the scene, prompting charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. 

That chargesheet was submitted by the Hill Palace police inspector to the Thripunithura First Class Judicial Magistrate Court two weeks ago. Vedan and the others were arrested in connection with the incident but are currently out on bail. If convicted under Section 27 of the NDPS Act, they could face up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of ₹10,000, or both. Both matters are now pending further court proceedings.