The Nepal court sentenced star cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane to eight years in prison in a rape case on Wednesday. The bench, led by Shishir Raj Dhakal, delivered the verdict of 8 years imprisonment along with compensation and penalties after a hearing, as confirmed by court official Ramu Sharma. The Kathmandu District Court had previously indicted Nepal's cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane in a rape case. The bench, headed by Shishir Dhakal, delivered the verdict in December last year after hearing the concluding statements from both sides.
The Apex Court had earlier, on February 23 this year, ordered to conclude the case through a fast-track process. However, the hearing had been on hold due to continuous delays on different occasions. The court repeatedly paused the hearing after the rape accused former national team captain traveled to Zimbabwe to participate in the World Cup qualifiers. Lamichhane, who spent a few months behind bars, was released on bail and later allowed to travel abroad.
On January 12, the Patan High Court overturned the Kathmandu District Court's order to send Lamichhane to judicial custody in the case of raping a minor, citing a lack of grounds to keep him in custody. He was released on a bail of Rs 2 million the next day. Lamichhane had also moved the Supreme Court, demanding permission to travel with the national team to the UAE to play ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 matches against the UAE and Papua New Guinea at the end of February.
The joint bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Kumar Chudal, after conducting a joint hearing of the petition by Lamichhane and the Office of the Attorney General's appeal, ordered on February 27 to allow Lamichhane to go to the UAE.
The District Government Attorney's Office (DGAO), Kathmandu, had registered a case against Lamichhane, charging him with raping a minor. Police had investigated Lamichhane under Section 219 of the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017, after a 17-year-old girl filed a rape complaint against him. The Kathmandu DGAO has demanded a prison sentence of up to 12 years against Lamichhane, as per sub-section 3 (d) of Section 219, which states that a person who commits rape shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of 10 to 12 years if the woman is 16 or above 16 years of age but below 18 years of age. It has also sought compensation for the victim.
Lamichhane has denied the rape allegation in his statements to the DGAO and police. An arrest warrant was issued against Lamichhane on September 8, and the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) suspended him from the national team the same day after the issuance of the arrest warrant.
