CHENNAI: A Mahila Court in Chennai on Wednesday convicted A. Gnanasekaran, the sole accused in the case, of sexually assaulting an Anna University student on the institute's campus on December 23.
Mahila Court Judge Rajalakshmi said she will pronounce the verdict in the case on June 2.
The government counsel later told reporters that the prosecution filed 11 charges against Gnanasekaran and proved all of them using documentary and forensic evidence.
"Today, he was pronounced guilty by the court. The details of the sentence will be given on June 2," she said.
The court had framed charges against Gnanasekaran under sections 329, 126(2), 87, 127(2), 75(2) read with 75(i), (ii), (iii), 76, 64(1), 351(3), 238(b) of BNS and BNSS, Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act.
Gnanasekaran, a biryani vendor who is an accused in multiple other cases of thefts and other offences, pleaded not guilty.
The charges in the Anna University case pertain to rape, sexual harassment, wrongful confinement, abduction of a woman and criminal trespass.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said the police department has ensured justice in just five months for the victim in the Anna University student sexual assault case.
Assuring once again justice and safety-security for women, Stalin said the trial was conducted expeditiously and, "our police department has secured justice in just five months."
In a social media post, he thanked the police officials who investigated the case, prosecutors and the court.
"I continuously tell the police department that there should be no incidents of crime, and in case such things happen, no perpetrator of crimes should escape; probe and trial should be expeditious and punishment must be secured for the offenders," the chief minister said, adding , the hopes of opposition parties to carry on "defamatory, cheap politics," has been shattered.
AIADMK, welcomed the court's verdict and asserted that it had consistently fought to secure justice for the victim.
Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, hailing the ruling by a Mahila court in Chennai, said that several questions raised by the public still remain unanswered.
He questioned the circumstances surrounding Gnanasekaran’s initial arrest and subsequent release, asking what transpired in the interim before he was rearrested. Alleging close ties between the convicted accused and two senior DMK figures—one a minister and the other a key official in the Chennai corporation—Palaniswami asked why these individuals were not interrogated.
He also demanded an explanation regarding the reported "pressure" that led to the resignation of Dy SP Raghavendra Ravi, a member of the Special Investigation Team.
Further, he slammed the police for prematurely declaring Gnanasekaran as the sole accused before completing the investigation, suggesting it may have been an attempt to shield others.
Reaffirming his party’s resolve, Palaniswami expressed confidence that the AIADMK would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections and pledged that all those involved in the crime would be held accountable.
The case came to light on Christmas day last year after the survivor lodged a complaint (on December 24) at the Kotturpuram All Women Police Station (AWPS) alleging that Gnanasekaran threatened her when she was with a male friend and then assaulted her and forced her to do sexual acts by threatening her.
Police sources said that Gnanasekaran had recorded the act on his mobile phone as well, which he showed to the survivor to threaten her to not report the incident. The student, however, came forward and reported the incident. He was soon arrested.
The FIR of the case was downloaded from the CCTNS website of Tamil Nadu police and broadcast by certain sections of the media which created a furore. Later the Madras High Court transferred the investigation into the case to an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT), which also probed the FIR 'leak'.
The SIT filed a charge sheet in the last week of February before a magistrate court.
