A Nepali court on Wednesday awarded an eight year jail sentence to the country’s star cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane in a rape case, reported news agency ANI. The verdict was announced by a bench of Shishir Raj Dhakal. Lamichhane, former national cricket team captain of Nepal, was convicted by a court of raping a minor in December last year.

Sandeep Lamichhane holds the status of being Nepal’s most prominent cricketer and holds the distinction of being the first player from Nepal to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) upon his debut with the Delhi Capitals franchise in 2018. In October 2022, he was arrested following allegations from a 17-year-old girl claiming that he had raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu in August of the same year. However, he was subsequently released by a court in January 2023.

Sandeep Lamichhane has been given a punishment of 8 years in prison after being proven guilty. [ANI] pic.twitter.com/qqlcpnwFhV

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 10, 2024

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In December, Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal, sitting as a single bench, issued the order after the final hearings had concluded, finding Sandeep Lamichhane guilty of rape. During the time of his conviction, Lamichhane was out on bail. Subsequently, on January 12, the Patan High Court directed the release of the cricketer on a bail bond of Rs 2 million, imposing certain conditions.

In November 2022, the Kathmandu District Court issued an order to transfer Sandeep Lamichhane to the central jail located in Sundhara following a detention hearing. Subsequently, the cricketer lodged an appeal with the high court to contest the order.

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