Former Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane convicted of raping minor by Kathmandu District Court

Sandeep Lamichhane, former captain of the Nepal cricket team, was on Friday convicted of rape by the Kathmandu District Court, following a week-long hearing of the case. The jail term for the 25-year-old Lamichhane will be determined during the next hearing, a report in the Kathmandu Post said. The report added that a single bench of Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal passed the order on Friday following the conclusion of the final hearings that started on Sunday. Lamichhane had only been released in January this year by Nepal court after he had been arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in her hotel room in Kathmandu, in August 2022. Lamichhane is one of Nepal’s most prolific cricketers, having become the first cricketer from Nepal to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was acquired by Delhi Capitals (DC) for the 2018 season. Lamichhane is currently out on bail. On 12 January, the Patan High Court ordered the release of the cricketer. Responding to a review petition filed by Lamichhane, a joint bench of judges Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dahal ordered Lamichhane’s release on a bail bond of Rs 2 million with conditions. The Kathmandu District Court on 4 November, 2022, had passed the order to send Lamichhane to the Sundhara-based central jail after a detention hearing. Lamichhane had moved the high court challenging the order. The Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office filed a case against Lamichhane accusing him of raping the girl on 21 August. The minor had filed a case against the cricketer on 6 September at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala. Nepal Police arrested him on 6 October at Tribhuvan International Airport on his return from Trinidad & Tobago where he played in the Caribbean Premier League. Through the chargesheet, the district attorney had demanded compensation from Lamichhane for the victim’s alleged physical and mental torture. After the charge sheet was filed, Lamichhane’s bank account and property were frozen. A wily leg-spinner, armed with a vicious googly, he was a much sought-after cricketer in other big-ticket T20 leagues around the world, including the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the CPL. The prodigiously gifted cricketer holds the record for the world’s second-fastest bowler to capture 50 ODI wickets and the third-fastest to race to 50 T20I wickets. Lamichhane’s last international appearance came in August this year when he played against Kenya in a T20I encounter. With inputs from PTI