Kochi | A 44-year-old man was on Thursday sentenced to 20 years in jail by a Kerala court for raping a minor girl four years ago.

Muvattupuzha special court (POSCO) judge P V Anishkumar sentenced the man -- Jailani -- to 20 years for the offence of penetrative sexual assault under section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict.

While the court convicted him for the offences under section 376(3) (rape of a minor) and 354A (1)(i) (sexual harassment) of the IPC, it did not impose a separate sentence for the same.

It said that if the fine amount is realised from the convict, the same shall be paid to the victim as compensation.

The court also recommended the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to pay compensation to the victim