Varsity student sexual assault case: Chennai court finds Biryani vendor guilty, set to announce verdict on June 2

A Mahila Court in Chennai on Wednesday found A. Gnanasekaran, a biryani vendor, guilty in the high-profile Anna University woman student sexual assault case, PTI reported.

The court held that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The case, which triggered widespread outrage in Tamil Nadu in December 2024, saw the prosecution push for the maximum punishment for Gnanasekaran.

Mahila Court Judge Rajalakshmi stated that the final verdict, including sentencing, will be pronounced 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, according to a PTI report.

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"Today, he was pronounced guilty by the court. The details of the sentence will be given on June 2," she said.

Giving a brief update on the proceedings on Wednesday, she indicated that Gnanasekaran sought a lenient sentence claiming he was the sole bread-winner of the family.

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"The prosecution strongly objected to this and sought the maximum punishment," she added. 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 Chief Minister M K Stalin had in January said he was only a sympathiser and supporter, and not a member of the Dravidian party.

The case came to light after the victim lodged a complaint before the All Women Police Station in Kotturpuram here on December 23 last year. In her complaint, the victim alleged that Gnanasekaran threatened her when she was with a male friend and then sexually harassed her.

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Gnanasekaran was later 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 of the case to a Special Investigation Team, which also probed the FIR leak.

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The SIT filed a charge sheet in February before a magistrate court. Thereafter, the case was transferred to the Mahila Court.