The District and Sessions Court awarded life sentence to Shivappa alias Shivanand Madar (38) of Shibaragatti, in the recent Amminabhavi rape case.
In his judgment on Friday, Judge K Natarajan slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict.
As per Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act (2012), Judge Natarajan pronounced the verdict in which he said if the convict fails to pay the fine within a month, an additional simple imprisonment of one year will be imposed.
It may be recalled that Madar had raped a nine-year-old girl at Amminabhavi village on January 5 this year. According to the police, Madar exploited his friendship with the girl's family and raped the victim when she was home alone.
Neighbours, who found the girl unconscious, informed her parents and the police about the incident. Subsequently, Dharwad Rural Police booked a case and succeeded in nabbing the culprit. Public Prosecutor Megharaj Kabadi told Express that this is a 'landmark' judgement in the state which has come out in such a short period after the enforcement of the POCSO Act.
"Under this Act, a convict can be sentenced for not less than 10 years which may be extended to imprisonment for life. The Judge has exhibited his social concern by slapping life imprisonment on the convict," he said.
The announcement of the verdict within six months of the incident must have provided some consolation to the grieved family of the victim, he added.