India, Oct. 28 -- A special POCSO court has sentenced Pyare Miyan, a septuagenarian and former newspaper owner in Bhopal, to 10 separate life imprisonments for the rape and sexual assault of five minor girls, a prosecution official said.

The court also imposed a hefty fine of Rs 77.64 lakh on him in its judgment pronounced on Tuesday (October 27), the official said.

The sentences pronounced under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) include eight terms of imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life and two terms of life imprisonment.

The court also sentenced his accomplice, Rabia Bi, to 20 years in prison, the official said.

According to the prosecution,...