Nepal Cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane convicted of rape by Kathmandu District Court

Former Nepal Cricket Team captain Sandeep Lamichhane has been convicted of raping an 18-year-old girl by the Kathmandu District Court on Friday, December 29. The final hearings of the case began on Sunday, December 24 and a single bench of Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal passed the order against the Nepali cricketer while his jail term will be determined in the next hearing as well as any fines or compensation that may be imposed.

Lamichhane is currently out on bail since January 12 and even participated in several tournaments for his country in recent times. 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 his release on a bail bond of Rs 2 million with conditions.

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According to a report in Kathmandu Post, Kathmandu District Attorney’s Office filed a case against Lamichhane in September, 2022 accusing him of raping a 17-year-old girl on August 21. However, the court has concluded that the victim was not a minor at the time of the crime and charged the cricketer under Section 219 of the Criminal Code 2074. 

The victim first filed the complaint against Lamichhane on September 6 at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala when he was in Trinidad and Tobago to play in the Caribbean Premier League. Following rge complaint, Lamichhane, who was the captain of Nepal back then, was suspended by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).

Sandeep Lamichhane was arrested on October 06, 2022

He was arrested on October 6, 2022 from Tribhuvan International Airport. Before being arrested, Lamichhane had written on Facebook that he would "fully cooperate in all stages of the investigation and will fight a legal battle to prove his innocence" and called it a "conspiracy and wrongful allegation".

In the chargesheet filed by the district attorney a compensation was demanded from Lamichhane for the victim’s alleged physical and mental torture. After the charge sheet was filed, his bank account and property were frozen.

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Meanwhile, Lamichhane led PARSA Club XI to victory over Nepal Army Club in a Nepal Pro Club Championship match in Birgun, earlier in the day.