Anna varsity sexual assault convict jailed for 30 years

A local court in Chennai on Monday sentenced a 37-year-old man, convicted for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old student of Anna University last year, to 30 years in prison without remission.

- Divya Chandrababu

CHENNAI:

Mahila court judge M Rajalakshmi pronounced the sentence in respect of each of the 11 charges proved by the prosecution and said the sentences will run concurrently.

"He will not be entitled to any privileges or early release," public prosecutor Mary Jeyanthi told reporters after the verdict.

"His phone is the weapon of this case," Jeyanthi said. "We submitted to the court a report from the forensic science lab which had analysed his phone activities on the day of the crime and concluded that he put his phone on flight mode. An official from his network provider testified in court that he received no calls post 6.29pm on December 23 until he received an SMS at 8.58pm clearly stating his phone was in airplane mode during this time."

Earlier on Wednesday, she convicted Gnanasekaran finding him guilty of charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act, and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

In December 2024, Gnanasekaran, who worked as a vendor near the university, broke into the campus and assaulted the student. The first information report in the case said that Gnanasekaran forced the student to perform "sexual acts".