The Mahila Court in Chennai on Monday sentenced Gnanasekar (37), the lone convict in the Anna University rape case, to life imprisonment for 30 years and a fine of Rs 90,000.

Earlier on May 28, Special Judge M Rajalakshmi of the Mahila court found Gnanasekar guilty of all the charges invoked against him under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, as well as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

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Gunasekar, a Biryani vendor outside Anna University, entered the campus late in the evening on December 23, 2024. He kept his mobile on flight mode and pretended to be talking to someone as he gained entry into the campus.

The rape survivor, a 19-year-old student of the university, and her friend were on the campus. Spotting the duo sitting on the stairs, Gnanasekar hit the girl’s boyfriend on the head and snatched the girl’s identity card.

According to the charge sheet, the accused told the victim and her friend that he had recorded a video of them and threatened to show it to the university authorities. When the couple pleaded and asked him to leave, he took the boy away and scared him off.

He then returned to the girl and forcibly took her to a secluded place and sexually assaulted her. He also recorded a video of the brutality he inflicted upon the victim.

The incident sparked massive public outrage after photographs of the accused surfaced with DMK ministers. This led to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin to issue a clarification that Gnanasekar was not a member of the DMK but a sympathiser.

The Madras High Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three women IPS officers to probe the sexual assault case. The SIT filed the charge sheet before the trial court, charging Gnanasekar under 11 provisions of the BNA, including rape 64(1), besides the IT Act and the TN Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.