Anna University sexual assault case: Palaniswami accuses T.N. CM Stalin of trying to take credit for verdict

Anna University sexual assault case: Palaniswami accuses T.N. CM Stalin of trying to take credit for verdict

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who welcomed the Mahila Court’s verdict convicting the accused Gnanasekar in the Anna University sexual assault case of December 2024, accused Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of trying to take the credit for what the judiciary did. 

In a series of posts on his social media handle, Mr. Palaniswami pointed out that it was on the direction of the Madras High Court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising women Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, was constituted to probe the case. 

Notwithstanding the judgment, certain questions regarding the DMK government had not been answered yet, he said. The AIADMK leader wanted to know why the convict Gnanasekar was released immediately after his first arrest. “What happened between the release and the second arrest? Why were a Minister and Deputy Mayor not questioned? Why did Deputy Superintendent of Police in the SIT Raghavendra Ravi quit his assignment?” Mr. Palaniswami asked, raising more questions. Besides these, the most important question — who’s that sir? — remained unanswered, the AIADMK leader added.

ADMK Workers’ Rights Retrieval Committee coordinator O. Panneerselvam, meanwhile, said the Mahila Court’s action of giving the ruling within five months had generated confidence that the incidence of violence against women would come down substantially.

The verdict in Anna University sexual assault case sends out a strong message that those who commit crimes against women can never escape the rule of law, said BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan.

In a post on X, he welcomed the verdict and said it is a lesson for those who believe that they can commit heinous acts by leveraging political connections.

BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran, in a statement, said the trial court verdict reinforces that the rule of law will prevail regardless of the political clout and financial influence of the perpetrators of violence against women.