A court found that Sandeep Lamichhane, the former captain of Nepal’s national cricket team, had sexually assaulted a juvenile in December of last year.
Sports updates : Sandeep Lamichhane, the renowned cricket player in Nepal, was sentenced to eight years in prison by a court on Wednesday in connection with a rape case, according to news agency ANI. The Shishir Raj Dhakal bench delivered the decision. A court found Lamichhane, the former captain of Nepal’s national cricket team, guilty of raping a juvenile in December of last year.
With his 2018 debut for the Delhi Capitals franchise, Lamichhane became the first player from Nepal to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is currently the most well-known cricket player in Nepal. After a 17-year-old girl claimed that he had sexually assaulted her in an August hotel room in Kathmandu, he was taken into custody in October 2022. However, in January 2023, a judge freed him.
After the last round of hearings, Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal’s single bench issued the order in December. The court found him guilty of rape.
Lamichhne was out on bond when he was found guilty. The cricket player was ordered to be released on a two million rupee bail bond with conditions by the Patan High Court on January 12.
Following a detention hearing, the Kathmandu District Court ordered in November 2022 that Lamichhane be sent to the major jail located in Sundhara. The cricket player filed a high court challenge to the ruling.
On October 6, upon his arrival back from Trinidad & Tobago, where he participated in the Caribbean Premier League, he was apprehended by the Nepal Police at Tribhuvan International Airport. The district attorney had claimed payment from Lamichhane through the chargesheet for the alleged physical and psychological abuse of the victim. The property and bank account of Lamichhane were frozen following the filing of the charge sheet.
Leg-spinner Lamichhane was in high demand in other high-profile T20 competitions across the globe, such as the CPL, the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. He is currently the third-fastest bowler in the world to reach 50 T20I wickets and the second-fastest bowler in the world to reach 50 ODI wickets. Lamichhane last played for his country in a Twenty20 international match against Kenya in August of this year.