Overview

• On May 28 the Mahila Court convicted 37-year-old Gnanasekaran on all eleven charges, including rape, kidnapping, criminal trespass and blackmail, based on documentary and forensic evidence.
• The Madras High Court formed a Special Investigation Team of women IPS officers in December after the victim’s identity was leaked, and the SIT filed a 100-page chargesheet in February.
• Sentences for each conviction run concurrently, mandating at least 30 years in prison under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and related statutes without any remission.
• Opposition parties alleged his ties to the DMK until Chief Minister MK Stalin clarified that Gnanasekaran was only a sympathiser and not a party member.
• The verdict has prompted calls for stronger campus security at Anna University and follows a High Court directive granting the survivor ₹25 lakh in interim compensation.