Chennai- In a landmark verdict, the Special Mahila Court in Coimbatore on Tuesday sentenced all nine accused in the infamous Pollachi sexual assault case to life imprisonment. The court ruled that the convicts will serve life terms for the remainder of their natural lives under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to gang-rape. Judge R. Nandhini Devi delivered the sentence after hearing final arguments from the prosecution and defence.

The court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to pay a total compensation of Rs 85 lakh to the eight women who came forward to testify as survivors. The nine convicted men are, N. Sabarirajan alias Rishwanth (32) of Jothi Nagar, K. Thirunavukkarasu (34) of Makkinampatti, M. Sathish (33) and T. Vasanthakumar (30), both from Suleeswaranpatti, R. Mani alias Manivannan (32) and T. Haronimus Paul (32), both from Achipatti, P. Babu (33) of Mahalingapuram, K. Arulanantham (39) of Vadugapalayam and M. Arunkumar (33) of Panikkampatti.

All nine had been charged with serious offences including criminal conspiracy, sexual harassment, rape, gang-rape, and repeated rape on the same victim. The CBI’s Public Prosecutor, Surenda Mohan, had urged the court to impose the maximum punishment, citing the grave nature of the crimes. The accused were brought to court from Salem Central Prison under heavy security.

The case dates back to 2016–2018, when the group of men from Pollachi allegedly blackmailed, sexually assaulted, and filmed several women, mainly from middle and lower-income backgrounds. The abuse came to light after a 19-year-old college student lodged a complaint with the Pollachi East police on February 24, 2019. She reported being sexually assaulted by four men in a moving car earlier that month. Though many victims were reportedly targeted, only eight women testified during the trial. The videos of the assaults were used by the accused to further exploit the survivors, exposing a chilling pattern of organised abuse. The court’s ruling marks a significant moment in Tamil Nadu’s fight against sexual violence, bringing justice to survivors after six years of legal proceedings.