Anna University sexual assault: Chennai court sentences convict A Gnanasekaran to 30 years in jail, fines him ₹90,000
The Chennai court sentenced A Gnanasekaran, the convict in the Anna University sexual assault case, to life imprisonment on Monday. Judge M Rajalakshmi said that the accused must remain in prison for at least 30 years without remission, news agency PTI reported.
On 28 May, a Mahila Court in Chennai had pronounced Gnanasekaran guilty in the Anna University woman student sexual assault case, with the prosecution seeking 'maximum punishment' for him.
The court awarded sentences in respect of each 11 charges proved by the prosecution against him. The sentences run concurrently, Mahila Court judge Rajalakshmi added, the report said.
The judge, while convicting Gnanasekaran, said that he sought a lenient sentence claiming he was the sole bread-winner of the family and prosecution objected to it and sought maximum punishment.
The Consultant counsel of Gnanasekaran, however, said that they will be appealing the court's sentence. According to a PTI report, BR Jayaprakash Narayanan said, '…We will be appealing this punishment of 30-year period. We will be going on appeal on the receipt of the judgment documents and valid papers."
A second-year student of Anna University was sexually assaulted on the Anna University campus in December. After an investigation, the Chennai Police had arrested Gnanesekaran in connection with the case.
The case came to light after the victim lodged a complaint before the All Women Police Station in Kotturpuram in Chennai on 23 December last year. The student alleged that an unidentified man had threatened and sexually assaulted her when she was talking to her friend on campus.
The Mahila court framed charges against Gnanasekaran under various sections of the BNS, including sexual harassment, BNSS, IT Act and the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act.
Hailing the court's decision, Congress MP Jothimani told IANS, '…Today, the punishment has been announced – 30 years of imprisonment for the culprit. The way justice has been served gives satisfaction not only to me but to every woman in the country, especially because the case was fast-tracked.'
The sensational case had triggered a political row over Gnanasekaran's alleged connections with the ruling DMK in the state, although the party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, had in January said he was only a sympathiser and supporter, and not a member of the Dravidian organisation.
After Gnanasekaran was convicted on 28 May, in a post on X, CM Stalin had hailed the state police, investigating officers, and government lawyers for the expeditious verdict in the Anna University sexual assault case.
He also slammed the opposition parties, which had made allegations against the ruling DMK over the incident, and said attempts were made to play 'cheap politics'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Delhi Police bust pan-India cybercrime syndicate
The Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled a sprawling, pan-India cybercrime syndicate allegedly involved in a range of illegal activities, including sextortion, banking fraud, and cyber scams, officials said on Tuesday. The criminal network operated across Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, according to the police. The operation resulted in the seizure of 28 mobile phones, 30 SIM cards, two laptops, eight cheque books, 15 debit cards, and several bank account credentials used for illegal financial transactions, the police stated. Videos and photographs used to blackmail victims were also recovered, and a money trail amounting to over Rs 5 crore has been identified, officials added. The operation was initiated on May 24 following a tip-off regarding the movement of a suspicious consignment containing synthetic bank account kits in the New Ashok Nagar area, the police said. 'These kits were reportedly being used in various high-tech crimes such as sextortion, cyber fraud, banking scams, debit or credit card cloning — crimes that have seen a recent surge both in frequency and sophistication,' Aditya Gautam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crime Branch, said. The intelligence indicated that the kits were to be delivered and distributed near the vicinity of Mayur Vihar Phase-1 Extension, DCP Gautam said, adding that 'an immediate and decisive operational response was formulated'. The operation resulted in the arrests of three men, identified as Ujjawal Pandey, 30, Gaurav Barua, 24, and Yug Sharma, 19. The accused were allegedly arrested with the synthetic kits and associated paraphernalia, including pre-activated SIM cards, forged bank documents, and digital devices used to carry out fraudulent transactions, the police said. These kits enabled fraudsters to bypass KYC norms and execute untraceable financial operations, the police added. Further investigation based on inputs from those arrested led to a raid in the Mundka area where a fake call centre was masquerading as a bank loan provider, according to the police. Here, seven more people were caught. According to the police, the operation was led by Dilshad Ali, who ran the centre along with his associate, Amit, who is currently absconding. The call centre's modus operandi involved luring victims with attractive loan offers, collecting their identification details, and then extorting money under the guise of processing fees before cutting all contact, the police said. Ali, who was previously involved in a 2019 case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act in Maharashtra, acted as the team leader, the police said. Six call centre employees were also arrested. The police said they were mostly young telemarketers who were computer literate and earning between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000 per month. Building on leads from the arrested individuals, another raid was conducted in New Ashok Nagar, resulting in the arrest of four more accused and the exposure of a well-organised sextortion racket, the police said. 'These individuals employed a deceitful method to lure and exploit victims. Initially, they would send friend requests on Facebook and obtain the victim's mobile number through Facebook Messenger. Subsequently, they would initiate a video call on WhatsApp, during which they would stream pornographic clips, secretly recording the victim's screen and reactions using screen recording tools. The recorded content was then used to blackmail the victim under threats of publicly circulating the video on social media platforms, thereby coercing them into transferring money,' said DCP Gautam. The accused in the case come from diverse backgrounds and regions, the police said. Pandey, originally from Krishna Nagar, Delhi, came into the cyber fraud world through his cybercafe venture, according to the police. Barua, a graduate from IGNOU, allegedly transitioned from a legitimate job in an insurance company to fraudulent financial operations. Sharma, the youngest among the arrested, assisted in supplying fake SIM cards and account kits, and Ali, who had a corporate background, played a central role in managing the fraudulent call centre, as per the police. The accused in the sextortion gang were identified as Jahid, 20, Raheesh, 21, and Sohil, 18, all from Deeg in Rajasthan. Jahid, a third-year student, was identified as the alleged ringleader of the sextortion racket, while Raheesh and Sohil allegedly assisted in blackmail operations. Jayshree, a 24-year-old graduate from Alwar University and a former SBI BPO employee, also played a vital role in making calls and luring victims, the police said.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
16 Oppn parties urge PM for special session of Parl
New Delhi: In a rare show of unity, 16 opposition parties have come together to demand a special session of Parliament, citing the need for a free and fair discussion on national security issues and foreign policy developments after Operation Sindoor. A joint letter has been sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring the opposition's collective voice and sense of urgency. Addressing the media, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien highlighted that the initiative was not taken merely at the parliamentary party level but was a consensus among the heads of 16 political parties. These include the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (J&K NC), CPI(M), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Kerala Congress, MDMK, and CPI(ML). "A free and fair discussion in Parliament is the foundation of a vibrant democracy," said O'Brien. "The government is responsible to Parliament, and Parliament is responsible to the people." He also noted that while the DMK could not attend due to the 100th birth anniversary of the late M Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu, the party remains fully committed to the initiative. Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is expected to write separately to the Prime Minister supporting the demand. Congress MP Deepender Hooda explained that the opposition's call for a special session was intensified after the recent ceasefire announcement by the United States in a conflict region. "We want to thank our armed forces in Parliament and discuss what measures are being taken to isolate Pakistan and how we plan to move forward," he said. Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, echoed the sentiment of unity, stating, "We can only go to our Prime Minister. We believe that when the country was facing a threat, we stood together. We hope the PM listens to us and the government doesn't politicise this."
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
India fighting militancy not just for itself, but for entire world: AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal
New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, part of the all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi, on Tuesday said that India gave a clear message to the world that it is a peace-loving country but will strongly respond to any attack on its citizens. He also said India is ready to defend itself even against nuclear threats and is fighting terrorism, not just for itself but for the world. After returning to India, Ashok Kumar Mittal said, '...We gave one message from India and the PM of India, that we are a peace-loving nation, we believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. But if any nation would cast an evil eye on us, send militancy our way, kill our citizens and try to destabilise our nation, we will not have any agreement with them. We will give them a befitting reply. That is exactly what we did. When they killed 26 of our citizens in Pahalgam, we destroyed 9 terror camps on May 7 through Operation Sindoor. It was done with such precision that there was no damage anywhere nearby. The civilian public didn't suffer any loss, we didn't do anything to their military establishment. But we responded when Pakistan initiated war. India is capable and strong. If they threaten us with nuclear war, India is capable of going to their nation and destroying their nuclear plants.' Mittal said India would never start a war but would not stay silent if its security were threatened. He added that many governments, lawmakers, and thinkers have promised to support India and that the countries they visited will raise India's concerns on global platforms like the UN Security Council and the European Union. 'India will never initiate it, but it won't compromise with its security either. This fight against militancy is something that India is fighting not just for itself but also for the entire world. Pakistan spreads militancy across the is fighting the fight to eliminate this militancy, and we need the support of the entire governments, Parliamentarians and intellectuals promised to support us openly. Be it UNSC or EU, they (countries of visit) will present our part strongly on these platforms and support it,' Mittal said. RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta, who is part of the same delegation, said that the group visited five countries and shared India's concerns about cross-border terrorism. He compared terrorism to cancer, saying if it is not stopped now, it will keep growing. He urged all countries to come together and find a solution to this global threat. Speaking to ANI, Prem Chand Gupta said, 'Our delegation visited 5 countries. We briefed Think Tanks, Parliamentarians, Govt officials, media and everyone else there. We presented the side of our country - how we are suffering from cross-border terrorism. Cross-border terrorism is like cancer. If it is not checked now, it will grow. All countries and everyone must unite and find a solution to this...' The delegation, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, also includes Rajeev Rai (Samajwadi Party), Mian Altaf Ahmad (Jammu and Kashmir National Conference), Brijesh Chowta (BJP), Prem Chand Gupta (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Ashok Kumar Mittal (Aam Aadmi Party), and Former envoys Manjeev S Puri and Jawed Ashraf. The delegation briefed international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism and engaged with leaders in Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia. (ANI)
