KASARGOD: The District Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Saturday awarded 20 years jail term to a school headmaster for sexually abusing a minor girl. The accused, P Rajan Nair, has also been slapped a penalty of Rs 25,000.

The court also directed the government to hand over a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim as the crime took place in a government school.

The incident happened on and before October 11, 2018, when Rajan Nair sexually abused the girl inside a smart classroom. The incident came to light during a counseling session conducted by the Child Line. Following this, a case was registered against Rajan Nair and he was subsequently arrested.