Anna University sexual assault case: Rape convict handed life sentence without remission by Chennai court

Mahila Court judge M Rajalakshmi handed down the sentence four days after convicting Gnanasekaran on 11 charges, including rape, abduction, wrongful confinement, and criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

The judgment came nearly six months after the survivor, a 19-year-old student, filed a complaint on December 24, 2024.

According to police, on the night of December 23, the student and a male friend were sitting in the university campus when Gnanasekaran, a 37-year-old roadside biryani vendor with a long criminal record, confronted them. He pretended to record a video of the pair and used the threat of exposing the footage to manipulate and separate them.

He then sexually assaulted the woman in a secluded spot and recorded the act on his mobile phone. He subsequently attempted to blackmail her, threatening to send the footage to her father and college authorities if she did not comply with his demands.

The student, however, refused to be silenced. With support from her family and college, she approached the Kotturpuram All Women Police Station the next day. Gnanasekaran was arrested on December 25.

The case gained national attention after the First Information Report (FIR) containing the survivor’s identity was uploaded in the official website, which was then circulated among media persons. The Madras High Court took suo motu cognisance of the issue and rebuked the Tamil Nadu Police for both the tone of the FIR, which was seen as victim-blaming, and the security lapses on campus.

It formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of senior women IPS officers to take over the probe. The SIT, led by Bhukya Sneha Priya, Ayman Jamal, and S Brinda, filed a 100-page chargesheet on February 24.

During sentencing arguments, the defence pleaded for leniency, citing Gnanasekaran’s aged mother and young daughter. The prosecution, however, strongly opposed the plea and demanded the maximum penalty. Judge Rajalakshmi upheld the prosecution’s argument, calling the assault “a premeditated act exploiting institutional vulnerabilities.”

The court’s decision to impose a life sentence without remission — rare in cases not involving multiple victims or minors — has been seen as sending a stern message against sexual violence on campuses.

Meanwhile, the High Court’s direction to the state government to pay Rs 25 lakh as interim compensation to the survivor — recoverable from officials responsible for the FIR leak — was later stayed by the Supreme Court.
The survivor continues her studies, shielded by court-mandated anonymity.