Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane convicted of raping a minor

NEW DELHI: Nepal's former national cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane was on Friday convicted by a court in Kathmandu for the rape of a minor.
Earlier in January this year, Lamichhane was released by the court after being arrested over allegations from a 17-year-old girl, claiming the cricketer assaulted her in a hotel room in Kathmandu.
The 23-year-old Lamichhane stands as Nepal's most prominent cricketer and is the first-ever player from from the country to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL).Lamichhane made his IPL debut with the Delhi Capitals franchise in 2018.
Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal, presiding over a single bench, delivered the verdict on Friday following the completion of the final hearings that commenced the previous Sunday, according to the Kathmandu Post.
The Kathmandu District Court on Friday convicted Lamichhane of rape.
The next hearing will determine the jail term for the senior member of the national team, the report said.
Lamichhne is currently out on bail. On January 12, the Patan High Court ordered the release of the cricketer. Responding to a review petition filed by Lamichhane, a joint bench of judges Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dahal ordered Lamichhane's release on a bail bond of Rs 2 million with conditions.
The Kathmandu District Court on November 4, 2022, had passed the order to send Lamichhane to the Sundhara-based central jail after a detention hearing. Lamichhane had moved the high court challenging the order.
The Kathmandu District Attorney's Office filed a case against Lamichhane accusing him of raping the girl on August 21.
The minor had filed a case against the cricketer on September 6 at the Metropolitan Police Circle, Gaushala.
Nepal Police arrested him on October 6 at Tribhuvan International Airport on his return from Trinidad & Tobago where he played in the Caribbean Premier League.
Through the chargesheet, the district attorney had demanded compensation from Lamichhane for the victim's alleged physical and mental torture. After the charge sheet was filed, Lamichhane's bank account and property were frozen.
A wily leg-spinner, armed with a vicious googly, he was a much sought-after cricketer in other big-ticket T20 leagues around the world, including the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the CPL.
The prodigiously gifted cricketer holds the record for the world's second-fastest bowler to capture 50 ODI wickets and the third-fastest to race to 50 T20I wickets. Lamichhane's last international appearance came in August this year when he played against Kenya in a T20I encounter.
(With inputs from PTI)