Panchkula, Oct. 29 -- A Panchkula court on Tuesday sentenced a 26-year-old man from Barwala to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in his neighbourhood in 2021.

Along with the prison term, the court of additional sessions judge Bikramjit Aroura also awarded a fine of Rs.50,000 to the convict under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

He was also held guilty under Section 366 (kidnapping or inducing a woman to compel marriage) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), for which, he was awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs.10,000. Additionally, he was awarded three years of rigorous imprisonment a...