A court in Coimbatore on Saturday sentenced three men convicted in the gang rape of a 21-year-old student to life imprisonment. The convicts were identified as Satish alias Karuppasamy (30), Karthik alias Kaleeswaran (21) from Sivaganga, and Guna alias Tavasi (20) from Madurai.
The incident occurred on November 2, 2025, when the survivor was speaking with a male friend behind Coimbatore International Airport. According to investigators, the three accused attacked the young man and then dragged the woman to a nearby deserted area, where they sexually assaulted her before fleeing.
The case sparked outrage across Tamil Nadu. Police registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to gang rape, assault, and criminal intimidation. The investigation was led by Inspector S. Latha with Inspector R. Arjunkumar, the station house officer of the Peelamedu Police Station.
Under the relevant provisions of the BNS, gang rape carries a punishment of rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of 20 years, which may extend to imprisonment for the remainder of the convict’s natural life, along with a fine. Apart from this charge, the court also convicted the three men under seven additional sections of the law linked to assault, criminal intimidation, and related offences.
Police filed a 270-page chargesheet before the Mahila Court, which examined 112 witnesses during the trial. The prosecution presented evidence from several individuals, including the survivor, her friend, her mother, and police officers involved in the investigation.
The hearing began on February 2, and the examination of witnesses was completed within 21 days. Public prosecutor P. Jisha and defence counsel Sasikumar later submitted their arguments to the court in written form.
On Saturday, the three accused were produced before Judge Sundarrajan under heavy police security. The court found them guilty and remanded them to the custody of Coimbatore Central Prison before pronouncing the sentence at around 3 pm, awarding life imprisonment to all three convicts.
Public prosecutor B. Jisha said the court also directed the state government to provide compensation to the victims. The survivor will receive Rs 7 lakh as compensation, while her friend, who was assaulted during the incident and lodged the complaint with the police, will be given Rs 2 lakh.
The court delivered the final verdict within 126 days of the incident.
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