GUWAHATI: Former Meghalaya MLA Julius Dorphang has been sentenced to 25 years in jail under the POCSO Act by a local court for raping a minor girl five years ago.
The Court of Special Judge (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences or POCSO), Nongpoh also slapped a fine of Rs 15 lakh against him.
The court, which convicted Dorphang on August 13, had pronounced the quantum of punishment on Tuesday.
Following his conviction, he was arrested and shifted to a jail. He is also a former leader of a banned insurgent group. Three others were sentenced to life imprisonment in the same case.
Dorphang's lawyer Kishore Ch Gautam said it was likely that an appeal against the conviction would be filed before the High Court of Meghalaya next week.
Two FIRs were filed against the former MLA -- one in 2016 and another in 2017 -- by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR).
In the first FIR, the SCPCR had stated that Dorphang had illicit sexual intercourse with the minor and the act was in violation of her right to life and dignity.
In the second FIR, the SCPCR had alleged that Dorphang committed a similar offence against the same victim subsequently. After the cases were filed, he went underground until being arrested from Guwahati in 2017.