Panchkula, Jan. 20 -- A special POCSO court in Panchkula, on Monday, sentenced a 35-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for raping a minor girl in May 2021.

The convict, a native of Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, was a neighbour of the victim's family in Panchkula, who also hail from Uttar Pradesh. He was held guilty under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and directed to pay a fine of Rs.50,000 along with serving the jail sentence.

In addition to the primary sentence, the convict received five years' imprisonment and a Rs.10,000 fine under Section 366 (kidnapping a woman to compel marriage), three years and a Rs.5,000 fine under Sectio...