Accused In Anna University Sex Assault Case Found Guilty Of All 11 Charges

A biryani vendor has been found guilty in the high-profile sexual assault case at Anna University that had sparked a massive political row in December. Mahila Court found Gnanasekharan guilty of all 11 charges for the sexual assault of a 19-year-old student on the Chennai campus after a five-month trial.

The charges included sexual assault, sexual harassment, rape, intimidation, kidnapping, and other provisions under the I-T Act.

The court is yet to sentence him.

Judge Rajalakshmi said he must get the maximum punishment since he has been convicted of all the charges. The convict, however, pleaded for minimum punishment, stating that he must look after his elderly mother and eight-year-old daughter.

In the December incident, Gnanasekharan had first attacked a friend of the teenager and then sexually assaulted her on the university campus. He had also filmed the act, hoping to blackmail her in the future. He was arrested on December 23.

As many as 29 witnesses testified, and a 100-page chargesheet was filed in the case.

Welcoming the verdict, Leader of Opposition Edappadi Palaniswami said that several questions remained unanswered, particularly the person that the convict had allegedly spoken to during the sexual assault, addressing him as "sir". The police had said he had only pretended to have that conversation. "Soon, under AIADMK's rule, whoever is that sir, will be booked," said EPS.

Investigations had also exposed the convict's involvement in several theft cases, with over 100 sovereigns of gold and a luxury SUV being seized from his possession. Sources had said that Gnanasekharan had confessed to robbing several houses in Chennai.

There were also concerns over the leak of FIR details that would have made public the survivor's identity. Indian law protects the identity of sexual assault survivors to prevent social stigma. Accused of deliberately leaking the details, the police had blamed the centrally administered police website for not restricting sensitive information.

The court had formed an SIT with only women officers to probe both the sexual assault case as well as the leak of her details. It had also directed the government to release an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the survivor.

The sexual assault case had given the opposition AIADMK a fresh arsenal to target the ruling DMK over women's safety and declining law and order in Tamil Nadu. The DMK had then vowed to fast-track the probe and ensure justice at the soonest.

The BJP, which remains a crucial observer in the state's dominant Dravidian politics, had then grabbed headlines with its then state chief K Annamalai flogging himself in public in a symbolic act for what he had described as the deteriorating law and order situation. He had also announced a 48-day fast and a mega pilgrimage as part of his protest.

Mr Annamalai had also shared a photo of the convict with Chief Minister MK Stalin's son, Udhayanidhi Stalin of the DMK, claiming that Gnanasekharan was a DMK member. The DMK had trashed the charge, with MK Stalin asserting he was a supporter, not a member.