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Cricket

'Isko cricket se bhi ban kar dena chahiye' - Fans react as Sandeep Lamichhane found guilty in minor's rape case

In January of this year, Lamichhane had been released by the court after facing arrest in connection with accusations from a 17-year-old girl.

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Mathew K
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Sandeep

Sandeep Lamichhane (Source: Twitter)

On Friday, a court in Kathmandu convicted Sandeep Lamichhane, who was the former captain of Nepal's national cricket team for the rape of a minor. In January of this year, Lamichhane had been released by the court after facing arrest in connection with accusations from a 17-year-old girl. The girl alleged that the cricketer assaulted her in a hotel room in Kathmandu.

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At 23 years old, Lamichhane is Nepal's most prominent cricketer and holds the distinction of being the first player from the country to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Making his IPL debut with the Delhi Capitals franchise in 2018, Lamichhane has garnered recognition. On Friday, Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal, presiding over a single bench, gave the verdict after concluding the final hearings that began the previous Sunday, as reported by the Kathmandu Post. The Kathmandu District Court convicted Lamichhane of rape.

The upcoming court session will decide the prison sentence for the senior member of the national team, as mentioned in the report. Lamichhane is presently released on bail. On January 12, the Patan High Court issued an order for the cricketer's release. In response to a review petition submitted by Lamichhane, a joint bench comprising judges Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dahal directed his release on a bail bond of Rs 2 million, subject to certain conditions.

Case was filed against Lamichhane on September 6

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On November 4, 2022, the Kathmandu District Court issued an order to incarcerate Sandeep Lamichhane in the central jail located in Sundhara following a detention hearing. Lamichhane contested the decision by appealing to the high court. Earlier, the Kathmandu District Attorney's Office pressed charges against Lamichhane, accusing him of raping a girl on August 21. The minor lodged a case against the cricketer on September 6 at the Metropolitan Police Circle in Gaushala.

Lamichhane was apprehended on October 6 at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his return from Trinidad & Tobago, where he participated in the Caribbean Premier League. The district attorney, through the chargesheet, sought compensation from Lamichhane for the alleged physical and mental anguish inflicted on the victim. Subsequently, Lamichhane's bank account and assets were frozen.

The exceptionally talented cricketer boasts the achievement of being the world's second-fastest bowler to reach 50 ODI wickets and the third-fastest to achieve 50 T20I wickets. Lamichhane's most recent international performance occurred in August of this year during a T20I match against Kenya.

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Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this news:

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