Palakkad (Kerala) | A court in Kerala on Friday sentenced a man to double life imprisonment for "raping and impregnating" a 15-year-old girl, who was his relative, at her residence here in 2022.

Pattambi Fast Track Special Court Additional District Judge Sanju T also sentenced the man to 43 years of rigorous imprisonment under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IPC, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Nisha Vijayakumar said.

The court directed that the 49-year-old man has to first serve 43 years of rigorous imprisonment and then his life term, under separate provisions of the POCSO Act, will commence, the SPP said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs four lakh on the accused and directed that the amount be given to the victim if recovered from him.

It also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide additional compensation to the victim, the prosecutor said.

According to the prosecution, the victim was "raped and impregnated" by the accused at her residence when no one was present there.

During the trial, the court examined 20 witnesses and 35 documents to arrive at a finding of guilt against the accused, the SPP said.