Life term for Anna univ sexual assault convict

Mahila court says perpetrator of such a grave offence does not deserve any leniency, imposes 90K penalty

- R SIVAKUMAR @ 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 ₹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.