The recent sentencing of Gnanasekaran, a DMK sympathiser, to 30 years of life imprisonment without remission in the Anna University sexual assault case has triggered a political war of words between Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK.Chief Minister M.K. Stalin welcomed the verdict, stating that the swift and fair investigation by the police led to justice within five months. He pointed out that the High Court had praised the investigation, and the Mahila Court too acknowledged the police’s effective handling of the case. Stalin said the verdict proved the state’s commitment to women’s safety and its new law denying remission for sexual offenders.
However, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) accused the DMK government of trying to shield Gnanasekaran due to his party connections. He claimed that only due to continuous pressure from the AIADMK, public outrage, and media attention did the case reach a conclusion.
EPS questioned why another accused referred to as “SIR” in the FIR was allegedly removed from the case during the investigation. He accused the DMK of rushing to close the case to protect influential individuals and warned that the AIADMK would reopen the case if it returned to power.