Latest news with #Rajalakshmi
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
Anna University sex assault accused Gnanasekaran gets 30 years in jail, fined Rs 90,000
A special court in Chennai on Friday pronounced the quantum of punishment in the Anna University sexual abuse case, in which the accused, Gnanasekaran, was earlier this week found guilty on all eleven Rajalakshmi, who presided over the proceedings, sentenced Gnanasekaran to thirty years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 90, this week, a Mahila Court in Chennai had declared Gnanasekaran guilty on all eleven charges levelled against him. The court held that the charges were substantiated through documentary and forensic The incident occurred around 8 pm on December 23, last year, when Gnanasekaran, a resident of Kottur who ran a biryani stall near the Anna University campus, allegedly entered the premises, sexually assaulted a female student in a secluded area, and assaulted her male to the police, Gnanasekaran also allegedly recorded a video of the incident and used it to blackmail the victims. He was arrested by the Greater Chennai Police and remanded to judicial custody.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
New academic year starts today with Prarambhotsava celebrations, amidst rain
Mangaluru: The schools across the Dakshina Kannada district are set to start the new academic year from Friday, amidst the onset of the monsoon. The officials said that all schools will start with a celebration, 'Prarambhotsava', to mark a festive start for students, especially newcomers. Before the start of the academic year, officials and school heads thoroughly checked all infrastructure facilities and ensured that no school was unsafe. Rajalakshmi K, DDPI (in charge), told TOI that all the govt, aided, and unaided schools will commence from Friday with a grand welcome awaiting students and a midday meal with a sweet dish. The officials thoroughly checked the infrastructure and gave a green signal to start the academic activities. The schools on Friday will start with Prarambhotsava, a grand celebration to welcome students back to campus. A taluk-level mega programme with the participation of the jurisdiction MLA, MLC, and other senior govt officials will be held in one school in each BEO. In Mangaluru North BEO limits, it will be held in Katipalla school, whereas Nalayapadavu PM Shri school is chosen in Mangaluru South BEO limits. On the first day, textbooks will be distributed across the district. Rajalakshmi shared that DK has so far received about 60% of the textbooks, which will be distributed. Though there was heavy rain in the past week, it did not heavily damage any school structures in the district. There are minor damages to roofs, walls, and some school compound walls have collapsed. "It will not be a matter of concern. All 212 schools in the BEO limits are inspected and checked for any damage. We noticed the compound wall of two schools is damaged; however, it will not cause any inconvenience to students," said Venkatesh T, BEO (in charge), Belthangady. "We are hoping that there will be no heavy rain on the first day, as it will be a dampener for Prarambhotsava," commented a school head. Jnanesh MP, executive officer of Akshara Dasoha in Dakshina Kannada, said the district not only finalised the tender for the next academic year but also made an agreement. "All the materials required for the midday meal will reach schools across the district by Monday. Besides, from this academic year, all children will have Sai Sure Ragi Health Mix drink five days a week," he said.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Accused In Anna University Sex Assault Case Found Guilty Of All 11 Charges
Chennai: 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.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- New Indian Express
Anna University sexual assault case: Mahila court convicts accused Gnanasekaran, to pronounce verdict on June 2
CHENNAI: A Mahila Court in Chennai on Wednesday convicted A. Gnanasekaran, the sole accused in the case, of sexually assaulting an Anna University student on the institute's campus on December 23. Mahila Court Judge Rajalakshmi said she will pronounce the verdict in the case on June 2. The government counsel later told reporters that the prosecution filed 11 charges against Gnanasekaran and proved all of them using documentary and forensic evidence. "Today, he was pronounced guilty by the court. The details of the sentence will be given on June 2," she said. The court had framed charges against Gnanasekaran under sections 329, 126(2), 87, 127(2), 75(2) read with 75(i), (ii), (iii), 76, 64(1), 351(3), 238(b) of BNS and BNSS, Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act. Gnanasekaran, a biryani vendor who is an accused in multiple other cases of thefts and other offences, pleaded not guilty. The charges in the Anna University case pertain to rape, sexual harassment, wrongful confinement, abduction of a woman and criminal trespass. The case came to light on Christmas day last year after the survivor lodged a complaint (on December 24) at the Kotturpuram All Women Police Station (AWPS) alleging that Gnanasekaran threatened her when she was with a male friend and then assaulted her and forced her to do sexual acts by threatening her. Police sources said that Gnanasekaran had recorded the act on his mobile phone as well, which he showed to the survivor to threaten her to not report the incident. The student, however, came forward and reported the incident. He was soon arrested. The FIR of the case was downloaded from the CCTNS website of Tamil Nadu police and broadcast by certain sections of the media which created a furore. Later the Madras High Court transferred the investigation into the case to an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT), which also probed the FIR 'leak'. The SIT filed a charge sheet in the last week of February before a magistrate court.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Court convicts Gnanasekaran in Anna University sexual assault case
A lower court Wednesday found the accused in the Anna University student sexual assault case, Gnanasekaran, guilty. The court, while delivering the verdict, said the 'prosecution has proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt'. The court found Gnanasekaran guilty of the charges framed against him in the sexual assault case in December 2024. The assault sparked widespread criticism of security measures at Anna University, located near the high-security Raj Bhavan and IIT Madras. The victim was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 37-year-old accused, who sold Biryani on the pavement of the university. In her complaint, the victim said that while she was speaking to her male friend on December 23, 2024 at about 8 pm, behind a building on the college campus, they were intimidated by an unknown person, who sexually assaulted her. Mahila Court Judge Rajalakshmi said she will pronounce the verdict in the case on June 2.
