CHENNAI: The convict in the sensational Anna University sexual assault case, A Gnanasekaran (37), was sentenced to life imprisonment for a minimum period of 30 years without any remission of the jail term by the Chennai Mahila Court on Monday.
Judge M Rajalakshmi said the perpetrator of such a grave offence cannot be shown any leniency. Gnanasekaran, a biryani stall owner, had raped the second-year engineering student on the Anna University campus on December 23, 2024, claiming himself to be a university staff member and had videographed the act. A total fine of Rs 90,000 was slapped on the convict, and the judge ordered the amount to be paid to the survivor.
The court also ruled out the involvement of any other accused, widely attributed as “sir.”
The court announced the quantum of punishment on Monday four days after holding the accused guilty on all 11 counts of charges, including rape.
“The convict is sentenced to life imprisonment for a minimum period of 30 years without remission with a fine of Rs 25,000 under section 64 (1) (rape) of the BNS. In default, he has to undergo simple imprisonment for three months,” the judge said in her 207-page order. Pointing out that 37 other criminal cases were pending against Gnanasekaran, the judge said “no leniency” could be shown to such an offender.
The other charges he was punished with imprisonment are 329, 126 (2), 76, 127 (2), 75 (2), 76, 351 (3), 238 (b) of BNS and BNSS and Section 66 E of Information Technology Act for criminal trespass, wrongful restraint, using criminal force to disrobe a woman, and videographing a woman by violating her privacy.
‘No other person except the accused involved in crime’
The punishment for these offences ranges from 10 years to one month and all the sentences are to be served concurrently.
Ruling out the involvement of any other accused, widely referred to as “sir”, the judge said the prosecution has proved through evidence that the convict had used the term “sir” to fool the victim into believing that he is a staff of the university and to coerce her to fall prey to his predatory lust. She said the court, by perusing the evidence, has come to the conclusion that “no other person except the accused” is involved in the offence.
Moreover, the judge has found that the mobile phone of the convict, at the time of occurrence of the offence, was on ‘aeroplane mode’ and had not received any calls during the relevant period of time as per scientific evidence and deposition by the officials of the mobile service provider.
The sexual assault had led to widespread outrage and protests, with the AIADMK and the BJP up in arms against the ruling DMK by claiming that the accused was a prominent member of the party and had close links with certain leaders.
They had also launched a major social media campaign with the tagline ‘Who is that sir?’ The DMK soon launched a counter-attack. Scores of students affiliated to the Students Federation of India (SFI) had also staged a spirited protest in front of the Anna University seeking action.
The Madras HC grilled the government over the incident and ordered the setting up of an all-woman special investigation team (SIT) comprising three IPS officers to probe the offence. The SIT stirred up a hornet’s nest by summoning certain journalists for inquiry over the alleged sharing of the copy of the FIR which was uploaded on the police’s website. It also confiscated the mobile phones of a few of these journalists but returned them after the HC’s intervention.
The SIT completed the investigations and filed the charge sheet in a judicial magistrate court in Saidapet on February 24 and the case was transferred to the Mahila Court on March 7. The court conducted the trial expeditiously and examined the witnesses from April. On May 28, 2025, the first part of the verdict was pronounced.
