Anna University Sexual Assault Case Verdict Sparks Political Showdown in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: A Chennai Mahila Court’s landmark judgment in the Anna University sexual assault case — sentencing DMK supporter Gnanasekaran to life imprisonment without remission for a minimum of 30 years — has ignited a fierce political battle between the ruling DMK and the Opposition AIADMK.

Mahila Court Judge M. Rajalakshmi convicted Gnanasekaran on May 28 under 11 separate charges, including sexual assault of a second-year university student in December 2024, and also levied a fine of ₹90,000. The judgment, delivered on Monday, is being hailed as a fast-tracked and severe punishment in a case that had drawn wide public attention.

However, the political narrative surrounding the case quickly took center stage. AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister MK Stalin and the DMK government, accusing them of shielding another suspect allegedly referred to as “Sir” in the FIR.

“In this case, the Stalin-led DMK government undertook numerous covert actions to protect the accused, DMK’s Gnanasekaran,” Palaniswami wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“Defying all such efforts, through continuous struggle–from public forums to social media–AIADMK has succeeded in ensuring punishment for one of the accused in this case.”

While welcoming the verdict, Palaniswami raised serious questions about the investigation’s transparency, particularly the unexplained reference to “Sir” in the FIR.

“Who is that, SIR? Who is the SIR mentioned in the FIR? Why was that SIR ruled out during the investigation? Why did the DMK government rush to conclude this case with only Gnanasekaran being named guilty? Who saved SIR?” he asked in his post.

In a swift rebuttal, Chief Minister MK Stalin defended the integrity of the investigation and denounced the Opposition’s stance.

“The case concluded within just five months and resulted in a severe sentence for the perpetrator. Now that the verdict has been delivered, the Women’s Court itself has commended the police for their excellent handling of the case,” Stalin wrote in Tamil on X.

He accused the Opposition of exploiting a grave crime for political mileage. “The attempts by a few narrow-minded individuals to seek political gain even in an injustice suffered by a young woman have been completely shattered by this outcome,” he said.