The district fast track court judge Selvasundari had yesterday sentenced Chandrasekaran of Velipalayam in the district to life and slapped a fine of Rs 1000 on him.
The judge also directed the state government to grant a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the elderly woman.
According to the prosecution, Chandrasekaran had beaten up the woman, who was sleeping in a temple premises on Feb 6, 2016 and had sexually assaulted her.
The woman had sustained injuries and was admitted to Nagapattinam government hospital.