Nepali cricketer and former captain Sandeep Lamichhane has appealed his eight-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape. Lamichhane has also been granted permission to remain out of jail while court proceedings against his appeal take place. On Thursday, Lamichhane appeared before the Patan High Court to challenge the District Court ruling. His lawyer Saroj Ghimire informed AFP about the situation.
Sandeep Lamichhane was found guilty of rape in December last year and received an eight-year prison sentence in January 2024. Saroj Ghimire stated that Lamichhane’s request to be released pending processing of his appeal had been accepted. She said: “We have lodged an appeal against the court’s decision.”
Sandeep Lamichhane appeals against rape conviction
Under Section 219 (3) (e) of the Civil Code 2074, a single bench of Justice Sishiraj Dhakal gave a ruling on December 29 last year, finding Lamichhane guilty of raping “Gaushala 26”. (the victim of the crime)
According to article 219—1, 2 and 3 (d)—of the Criminal Procedure Code, the sentence determined that the accused had “raped the victim by taking advantage of her poor economic situation.” Therefore, he was found guilty.
Following Lamichhane’s arrest at the Tribhuvan International Airport on October 6, 2018, the case began to unravel due to a complaint alleging that he had sexually assaulted a youth on September 6 of the same year.
The ruling notes that “Gaushala 26” and Sandeep Lamichhane stayed in a hotel room in Kathmandu after her return from a trip to Nagarkot, and further claims that Lamichhane had sexually assaulted her there, citing statements from both parties, the images of CCTV and an eyewitness report.
After an arrest warrant was issued in 2022, Sandeep Lamichhane did not return for the first time from Jamaica, where he was participating in the Caribbean Premier League. After being arrested and stripped of his playing ban, he was granted bail and dismissed as Nepal’s national captain. Thanks to this, he was able to continue playing for his country in the 2023 Asia Cup, as well as in the World Cup qualifiers.
Being the most sought-after Nepali cricketer in the world’s most lucrative T20 franchise competitions was largely due to Sandeep Lamichhane. His big break came in 2018, when he was signed by the richest cricket league in the world, the Indian Premier League.
Sandeep Lamichhane also played for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. Lamichhane has played a total of 9 matches in the cash-rich league and has picked 13 wickets.
Apart from his record in the Indian Premier League, the latter has played a total of 51 ODI matches and 52 T20I matches for Nepal. Lamichhane has picked 98 wickets in T20I cricket, while he has a total of 112 scalps in the 50-over format. The leggie has scored 1 fife in T20Is, while he has a total of 3 fifes in ODI cricket.
Apart from Sandeep Lamichhane, Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was also accused of sexual assault in November 2022. However, he was acquitted of all charges.