Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane has been sentenced to eight-year imprisonment by a Nepal court in connection with the rape of a 17-year-old girl. Lamichhane was convicted of rape last month after several delays, which allowed him to continue playing cricket. The bench of Shishir Raj Dhakal handed over the verdict of 8 years imprisonment along with compensation and penalties after a hearing today, confirmed court official Ramu Sharma.
Lamichhane was released in January 2023 by the Nepal court as he was alleged to have raped the minor girl in a hotel room in Kathmandu in August 2022. In February last year, the court had ordered to conclude the case through a fast-tracking process as the hearing was on hold. The hearings faced several delays as the ex-Nepal captain Lamichhane had travelled to Zimbabwe for the World Cup qualifiers.
However, since he wasn't convicted till then, he was released on bail and was allowed to travel abroad after being in jail for a few months.
Kathmandu District Government Attorney's Office (DGAO) had demanded a prison of 12 years for Lamichhane as per sub-section 3 (d) of Section 219 of the National Penal (Code) Act, 2017 after he was charged for a rape case based on a complaint by the 17-year-old. The said sub-section mentions that the person who commits rape of a woman of age 16 or above 16 and below 18, could face imprisonment up to 10-12 years. An arrest warrant was issued in Lamichhane's name and hence was suspended by the Nepal cricket team following the Asia Cup.
Lamichhane had denied the rape allegations and even the lawyer representing the cricketer, Sabita Bhandari Baral had told the news agency Reuters after the judgement last month, “We did not expect this judgement … we are frustrated."
Lamichhane represented Nepal at the highest level in 51 ODIs and 52 T20Is and even played nine matches in the IPL for the Delhi franchise.
