Lucknow, Jun 11 (IANS): The court of special judge (POCSO Act), Ayodhya, has sentenced a van driver and two of his accomplices to life imprisonment for the gang-rape of an eight-year-old girl in Ayodhya district in November 2017.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 each on them.

The girl was a Class 2 student of a prominent local school at the time of the incident.

Special judge (POCSO Act court) Noori Ansar awarded life sentence to van driver Arvind Pandey and his accomplices Dev Prakash Yadav and Bhanu Pratap Singh, all residents of Ayodhya.

The court, however, acquitted school manager Ranjeet Singh and principal Tamanna Madnani of all charges as no evidence was found against them.

The incident took place on November 13, 2017 and the FIR was lodged on November 16, 2017, according to government advocate, Ayodhya, Kalika Prasad Singh.

The victim's mother noticed marks on the girl's body while changing her clothes when she returned home from school on November 13, according to the FIR.

When the parents enquired, the girl revealed that the van driver and his two accomplices were sexually assaulting her for the past two months, the FIR further said.

The FIR was lodged in the incident after protests by locals. Police filed the charge sheet after three months of probe.