The recent verdict in the Anna University sexual assault case sentencing the convict to life for a minimum of 30 years without remission is welcome for the speed at which the police, prosecution and judiciary acted to deliver justice in five months. The brazen assault was committed on December 23 on the campus of the premier educational institution a stone’s throw from the governor’s residence in Chennai. The convict, food vendor A Gnanasekaran, raped the survivor, captured the assault on video and threatened to share it if she spoke up. The survivor, however, reported the crime to the police the very next day. Although the authorities initially failed her when the FIR briefly became publicly available, revealing her identity, she saw her case through to the end. The state faced the wrath of the Madras High Court for this, with the appointment of a three-member special investigation team to probe the case. The team filed the charges within two months of the crime, while the Mahila Court delivered its verdict in less than three months.
The case saw protests from students and political parties, with opposition parties insisting that the state allowed Gnanasekaran’s “partners” go free. This is based on the survivor’s account that he spoke to someone on his phone during the assault. However, the verdict held that Gnanasekaran had faked the call, pointing to evidence from the mobile service provider. It appears the SIT pursued every avenue despite the speed of investigation.
The quick probe and trial honour the survivor’s courage and the faith she placed in the law. There are scores of women and children across Tamil Nadu and the rest of the country who have placed their faith in the system—only to endure years of investigation, trials that never seem to end, and a mirage in the place of justice. The Anna University assault shows what can be done when the state puts its will behind a case. If this will, in provisioning resources, support and pressure, can be exercised in every such case, the courage of every woman and child coming forward despite the trauma and stigma of sexual violence will be truly honoured. And India will be safer for it. After all, it is not the severity of punishment that is the true deterrent, but the certainty of it.