The Coimbatore Mahila Court, on Tuesday, May 13, sentenced nine men to life imprisonment after convicting them earlier in the day for their involvement in a widespread sexual exploitation and blackmail racket in the Pollachi sexual assault case.
Judge R Nandhini Devi announced the quantum of punishment around 12 pm, sentencing the nine accused N Sabarirajan alias Riswandh, K Thirunavukkarasu, M Sathish, and T Vasanthkumar, R Mani alias Manivannan, P Babu, T Haronimus Paul, K Arulanantham, and M Arunkumar to life imprisonment for rape, gang rape, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to give a compensation of Rs 85 lakh to the victims. In addition, the convicted persons have been levied a fine ranging from Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000.
The prosecution had sought maximum punishment, arguing that the crime was premeditated and targeted vulnerable women. The defence pleaded for leniency, citing the convicts' young age and lack of prior criminal records, but the court observed that the nature of the crime warranted strict punishment to serve as a deterrent.
Speaking to the media after the verdict, Public prosecutor Surender said that other than the testimonies of the women, the prosecution presented solid evidence in the form of videos. “Even deleted videos were retrieved. Forensic tests proved the location and time of recording of the videos,” he said. He said that 48 witnesses were examined during the trial, and none of them turned hostile.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the case in 2019, had filed a detailed chargesheet identifying 12 victims, with eight of them testifying in court. The investigation revealed that the gang, led by Riswandh, used honeytraps and coercion to exploit women and record sexual acts, which they then used to blackmail victims for further sexual favours and money.
The case came to light after a 19-year-old college student, Priya (name changed), filed a police complaint in February 2019. She was lured by Riswandh and taken to a car where she was assaulted by four men. The gang filmed the assault and used the footage to blackmail her.
Following widespread outrage over the initial mishandling of the case, including the public disclosure of the survivor’s identity by a police officer, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government handed the case to the CBI. The investigation traced multiple videos back to Thirunavukkarasu’s farmhouse in Chinnappapalayam near Pollachi, where many of the assaults occurred.
The case also sparked political controversy, with allegations against high-ranking party members, although no direct political link was established in court. One of the accused, Arulanantham, was expelled from the AIADMK shortly after his arrest.