The Madras High Court has upheld the cancellation of bail granted to an accused facing trial for alleged extortion and setting fire to property, holding that his conduct after release raised concerns about the fairness of the trial. Justice N. Ramesh particularly considered Instagram posts portraying him as the “king” of Vellore with a weapon-like object and found that such conduct could affect the freedom of witnesses yet to be examined.
Background
The petitioner, Janny alias Janny Paulrajan alias Johny alias Johny Paulraj, was the fourth accused in S.C. No. 225 of 2022 before the Additional District Judge, Fast Track Court, Vellore. He had been granted bail by the High Court in December 2025 after spending about five years in custody.
After his release in January 2026, Katpadi Police registered a fresh case after a social media complaint concerning photographs and videos uploaded on Instagram. The material allegedly showed the petitioner holding a weapon-like object, while another video showed a gun resembling an assault rifle. He was subsequently arrested in Andhra Pradesh during a birthday gathering.
The prosecution then sought cancellation of his bail. The trial court accepted the plea, noting the fresh case and the circumstances surrounding the petitioner’s conduct while on bail.
Justice N. Ramesh clarified that the registration of a fresh criminal case by itself was not being treated as proof of guilt. The Court also noted that the petitioner’s earlier criminal cases were already known when bail was granted and therefore could not, by themselves, constitute a new circumstance.
The Court focused instead on the material showing the petitioner being publicly projected as the “king” of Vellore with a weapon in hand, while several prosecution witnesses were still to be examined.
“Within months of his release he is publicly projected, on pages bearing his name and followed by thousands, as the ‘king’ of Vellore, with a weapon in hand. That projection has a direct bearing on whether the witnesses who remain to be examined will come forward and depose freely.”
The Court specifically refrained from deciding whether the object shown was legally a firearm, whether the ingredients of the fresh offence were established, or who operated the Instagram pages.
The High Court dismissed the petition and confirmed the cancellation of bail. It directed the petitioner to surrender within one week if he had not already been taken into custody. The trial court was directed to conclude the trial within six months, as far as practicable on a day-to-day basis.
The Court also directed the Vellore Superintendent of Police to examine the Instagram pages concerned and similar pages.
