Chennai/IBNS: A biryani vendor who sexually assaulted a 19-year-old female student at Chennai's Anna University has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a city court, media reports said.

Gnanasekaran, the convict, will also have to pay Rs. 90,000 as fine, a Mahila Court in Chennai ordered.

Judge M Rajalakshmi said the convict will have to remain in prison for 30 years at least.

Gnanasekaran was found guilty on 11 charges including sexual assault, rape, intimidation and kidnapping.

The second year engineering student at Anna University had last year alleged that an unidentified person threatened her and sexually assaulted her inside the campus on December 23, 2024.

As per the First Information Report (FIR), Gnanasekaran had forced the student to perform "sexual acts".

The victim told police that Gnanasekaran captured her private moments with her friend, a third year student, on phone and threatened to leak the videos to her father and college authorities.

The convict had assaulted the student's friend.

Upon pleading to not leak the video, the vendor then took the victim's friend away asking her to wait at the same place.

Later, Gnanasekaran took the 19-year-old to a secluded place and sexually assaulted her.

He also asked the student to meet him from time to time otherwise he would leak the videos.

DMK was under fire over alleged link to Gnanansekaran

The DMK had come under fire after the opposition parties- AIADMK and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- alleged Gnanasekaran had links with the ruling party of Tamil Nadu citing photographs with several leaders.

Critics had also flagged the delay in arresting the then accused and raised questions over handling of the case.

The Madras High Court, which had taken a suo moto cognizance of the case, had rebuked the police for prematurely arriving at a conclusion that one one person was involved in the case.

The court had slammed the state government also for seeking credit for the arrest.