India, June 2 -- A Chennai Mahila Court's verdict on Monday in the Anna University sexual assault case, which sentenced the convict to life imprisonment for a minimum of 30 years without remission, has triggered a war of words between Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK and the main Opposition party, AIADMK.

The court found Gnanasekaran, a DMK supporter, guilty of sexually assaulting a second-year student on the university campus in December last year. Mahila Court Judge M Rajalakshmi, who convicted him on May 28, handed down sentences under 11 separate charges and imposed a fine of Rs.90,000.

AIADMK leader and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami accused chief minister MK Stalin and his government of trying to shield another individual alle...