The court, however, acquitted another accused due to lack of evidence (Representational)

A special court in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar trying POCSO cases on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping and murdering a two-and-a-half-year-old Dalit girl in 2017.

Judge Sanjive Tiwari also imposed a fine of Rs 55,000 on the accused, Laxman, 22, after holding him guilty under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The court, however, acquitted another accused due to lack of evidence.

Pardeep Malik, the lawyer representing the victim in the case, said the minor girl was lured by the accused to his house on the pretext of giving her ice-cream.

He raped her and murdered her there, the lawyer said.

The body of the girl was found in an almirah in the accused's house on October 10, 2017, in Shamli district, he said.

Police registered a case against Laxman and his associate Bobby in this connection, the lawyer said.

The victim's father had filed a police complaint alleging that his daughter was taken by the accused to his house where he raped and killed her.