A women’s court from Tamil Nadu on Wednesday sold accused Biryani in a sensational case of sexual harassment of Anna University student. Gyanasekharan convicted. The prosecution has requested the court to “punishment” for the convict. The court admitted that the prosecution proved the case and there was no scope for suspicion. Also, the court found Gyanasekharan guilty in the allegations against him in this case of sexual harassment. The incident of December 2024 shook the state.
The incident took place at around 8 pm on 23 December last year, when Gyanasekharan, a resident of Kottur, who used to run a biryani shop near the campus, allegedly entered the university campus and sexually assaulted a student at a deserted place and assaulted her male friend. This case states that colleges and universities are also not safe nowadays.
Women’s court judge Rajalakshmi said that she would give a verdict in the case on June 2. The government lawyer later told the media that the prosecution filed 11 allegations against Gyanasekharan and proved all the allegations using documentary and forensic evidence.
He said, “Today, the court convicted Gyanasekharan. Detail about punishment will be given on June 2. ”
Giving brief information about the court proceedings on Wednesday, he indicated that Gyanasekharan had claimed that he was the only person earning in the family and on the basis of this he requested the court to soften the sentence.
He said, “The prosecution raised strong objections to this and requested the maximum punishment.”
How did the incident happen?
The incident took place on the night of 23 December, when the student and her male friend were sitting on the stairs inside the university campus. Gyanasekharan, who entered the campus from Madras University gate, deliberately placed his phone on flight mode to avoid digital tracking.
While pretending to talk on the phone, he reached both of them, attacked the male student and falsely claimed that he had recorded their video, and threatened the university authorities to complain about it.
Using this concoction, he forcibly separated the two and took the student to a separate part of the campus. There, he sexually assaulted her and recorded this act on her phone for the purpose of blackmailing her.
The victim immediately lodged a complaint with the help of POSH (prevention of sexual harassment) committee with the help of a university faculty member. Gyanasekharan was arrested by the Greater Chennai Police on 25 December.
Investigation revealed that the accused was a habitual criminal. Gyanasekharan, a resident of Kotturapuram, used to run a shop of biryani near Adyar Bridge and there were several cases registered against him, including robbery, theft and sexual harassment in the same campus in 2011. During the investigation, more than 100 gold coins and a luxury SUV were seized from him, which reflects his deep involvement in criminal activities.
Due to the severity of the case and pressure from the public, the Madras High Court formed a special investigation team (SIT), which included all the members senior women police officers. The SIT led by the top ranked IPS officers conducted a thorough investigation, including CCTV footage and testimony and forensic evidence, finally prepared a 100-page charge sheet. The testimony of 29 witnesses helped the prosecution to make a strong case.
Political dispute arose from the incident
Soon after the arrest, photographs of Gyanasekharan with ruling DMK leaders emerged, causing political controversy. Although DMK initially denied any relationship, the opposition parties claimed the pictures and claimed that they are in a position in the party.
Later some pictures were revealed, in which Gyanasekharan was shown with DMK leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin, which intensified political allegations and counter-allegations. Although the DMK denied that he was a member of the party, the dispute damaged the image of the ruling party, especially before the 2026 assembly elections.
The case created political ruckus. Then the current BJP state president K.K. Under the leadership of Annamalai, the party used the incident to challenge the ruling DMK, accusing the party of giving shelter to individuals with criminal backgrounds.
Annamalai also staged a dramatic protest, openly whipped himself and announced a 48 -day hunger strike to draw attention to the decline of law and order under the DMK government.
There was a bigger ruckus when the FIR of this case came to light, which included sensitive information, which could reveal the identity of the victim. Although Indian law prohibits such revelations, the document was temporarily made public through the police website.
The victim will get compensation of Rs 25 lakh
The court has directed Anna University to ensure that the victim’s education continues without any interruption or financial burden. Apart from this, the Tamil Nadu government was ordered to give interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh.
