A Mahila court in Chennai convicted Gnanasekaran, the lone accused in the sexual assault of a 19-year old girl student on the Anna University campus, on Wednesday.
A 37-year-old biryani vendor, Gnanasekar was produced before the Mahila court judge M. Rajalakshmi amid tight security. He was held guilty of offences charged under 11 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Information Technology Act, and Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on June 2.
The incident dates back to December 2024, when the survivor, a second year engineering student, was sexually assaulted by Gnanasekaran, and a video of the act was recorded. The accused was a party worker of the ruling DMK and since the incident triggered a state wide outrage, the party expelled him.
As the protests mounted, the Madras High Court ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.
According to police, Gnanasekaran, a repeat offender, entered the university campus at 7.10 pm on December 23, 2024. The girl student and her male friend were sitting on the steps inside the campus. Gnanasekaran after setting his mobile phone on airplane mode, pretending to be on phone, went to the duo. He struck the girl’s male friend and snatched her ID card. He then threatened them saying he had recorded a compromising video and would release it to the university authorities. Later he took the girl to a secluded place, sexually assaulted her, recorded a video and used it to threaten her.
The girl, however, took courage to lodge a formal complaint with the Kotturpuram All Women Police station. Though Gnanasekaran was arrested, the police had allegedly leaked the FIR which contained the name and details of the survivor. The High Court then intervened and transferred the case to an all-women SIT. Following the investigation the court has now found him guilty.
While the ruling DMK and several others welcomed the verdict, the opposition AIADMK has said that there are many unanswered questions. AIADMK, soon after the case turned sensational, raised a question asking “who is that sir?” alleging that there are many ruling party members involved in the sexual assault as he was a habitual offender.
AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami contended that the quick verdict was made possible only because of the pressure exerted by the AIADMK. However, he said, there are many unanswered questions. “Why was Gnanasekaran, who was initially arrested, let off? What happened between his release and re-arrest? Why was a minister, who was close enough to have a meal at Gnanasekaran’s house, as well as the Chennai Deputy Mayor, not investigated in this case? Why did DSP Ragevandra Ravi, who was part of the SIT, quit?” Palaniswami asked.
Once the quantum of sentence is pronounced, Gnanasekaran is likely to go on an appeal in a higher court.
