Nepali cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday after being found not guilty in the ongoing rape case. The Patan High Court acquitted Mr. Lamicyan, overturning the Kathmandu District Court’s previous ruling.
As reported by setopati.com, a bench of Justices Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and Anju Upreti Dhakal overturned the district court’s verdict and cleared the foot spinner from all charges.
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“The district court’s verdict has been reversed and Mr. Sandeep Lamichhane has been acquitted,” the website quoted Bimal Parajuli, deputy registrar and spokesperson of the High Court, as saying.
Meanwhile, Sportskeeda reported that Lamichhane is available for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. However, official confirmation is still awaited. Nepal have already announced their 15-man squad, led by Rohit Paudel, but it is certain that Lamichhane will be selected as the ICC rules allow changes to the squad until May 25.
In December last year, a Kathmandu district court found Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman. He was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison for the same charges in January 2024. The 23-year-old cricketer was fined 300,000 rupees and ordered by the court to pay compensation of 200,000 rupees to the victim.
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Lamicyan was playing for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) when the court handed down his prison sentence. The franchise immediately released him upon his return to Kathmandu, where he was arrested.
The High Court Government Prosecution Service filed an appeal against the Patan High Court judgment on March 12, seeking maximum punishment for Lamicyan. Meanwhile, the cricketer had appealed against the district court’s verdict in the Patan High Court.
On February 22, the High Court granted him an appeal against the district court’s decision and spared him from prison.
He was re-considered to represent Nepal during the Cricket World Cup League 2 try-series held at home in February last year, but was left out of the squad for the World Cup League 2 try-series held in Dubai late last year. He later returned to the team as an injured substitute.
