2019 Pollachi sexual assault case: all 9 accused found guilty
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A sessions court in Coimbatore has convicted all nine men involved in the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault and blackmail case, which had sparked widespread outrage across Tamil Nadu and the country.
Judge R Nandhini Devi held the accused guilty of serious charges including gang rape, repeated rape, and blackmail.
The sentence is expected to be announced at noon, with the prosecution demanding life imprisonment for all convicts.
The convicted individuals — Sabarirajan alias Rishwanth (32), Thirunavukarasu (34), T Vasantha Kumar (30), M Sathish (33), R Mani alias Manivannan, P Babu (33), Haron Paul (32), Arulanantham (39), and Arun Kumar (33) — have been in custody at Salem Central Prison since their arrest in 2019. They were escorted to the court under tight security, with police presence ramped up across Coimbatore, including around the court complex.
The case exposed a disturbing pattern of sexual exploitation spanning from 2016 to 2018, in which at least eight women, including college students, were lured, assaulted, filmed, and then blackmailed for sex and money. The survivors were repeatedly threatened with the release of explicit videos to their families and communities if they did not comply.
Initially investigated by the local Pollachi police, the case was later transferred to the Tamil Nadu CB-CID and subsequently handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following widespread public demand for an impartial probe. The CBI’s investigation revealed the extent of the abuse, uncovering a systematic cycle of coercion and sexual violence.
The accused were charged under multiple stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rape, gang rape, repeated rape of the same survivor, criminal conspiracy, sexual harassment, and blackmail.
The verdict is being viewed as a critical moment in the fight for justice in gender-based violence cases, especially those involving long-term abuse and institutional lapses. Women's rights groups and activists closely followed the trial, which they saw as a test case for accountability and survivor protection in India’s legal system.
The case had also generated political controversy, with the then AIADMK-led state government accused of trying to suppress the investigation and delaying the filing of First Information Reports (FIRs), allegations the party has denied.