Thiruvananthapuram| A special court here has sentenced a priest to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for raping a woman on the pretext of performing rituals to rid her husband of an alleged evil spirit.

Nedumangad Special Court for trial of cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Judge A Shahjahan on Saturday found Rajesh, a resident of Venkulam in Edava, guilty of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to the prosecution, in April 2016, the accused asked the woman to attend a special ritual to remove an alleged evil spirit believed to be affecting her husband. He then sexually assaulted her in the storeroom of a religious institution.

The assault allegedly continued over several days, following which the woman lodged a complaint and the accused was arrested.

The court also directed that, in default of payment of the fine, the accused would have to undergo an additional year of imprisonment.

Special Public Prosecutor Sandeep R N appeared for the prosecution.