Tezpur (Assam), Mar 5 (PTI) A court in Assam on Wednesday sentenced a man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl.

The court in Sontipur district, which also functions as a special POCSO court, convicted the person for the rape of a five-year-old girl.

Also Read | Bihar Tragedy: 4 Passengers Electrocuted After Coming Into Contact With Fallen Electric Wire in Nawada.

The convict, Ajit Praja, was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 by the court, special public prosecutor, POCSO court, Saibal Maitra, said.

The sentence was pronounced by the judge in charge of the Sonitpur district and sessions-cum-special POCSO court, Justice Debashish Bhattacharjya.

Also Read | Sextortion Bid on Telangana Congress MLA: Vemula Veeresham Receives 'Nude Video Call' From Cyber Fraudsters Demanding Money.

Maitra said the case was related to the rape of a five-year-old girl by the 35-year-old man in the Gorajuli Pothar area on July 25 last year.

"If Praja fails to pay the fine, he will have to spend an additional two months in prison,” the advocate said.

He has been convicted under relevant clauses of the BNS and POCSO Act, making it also the first case of conviction under BNS in the district, Maitra added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)