A district court has sentenced a person to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him for preventing a dalit woman from casting her franchise in panchyat polls ten years ago.

Special Judge S P Singh pronounced the sentence on Mithai Singh on Tuesday for preventing Sundari Devi from casting her vote in the elections for deputy pradhan's post in Awazapur village under Dhanapur police circle area in neighbouring Chandauli district on April 29, 1995.

The judge also sentenced the accused to three years' rigorous imprisonment for assaulting the woman outside the polling booth on the day of polling.

According to the prosecution, the complainant had gone to exercise her vote when she was prevented at the polling booth by the accused and was beaten by him for daring to disobey his order, following which she had filed a criminal case at the Dhanapur police station.