Last month, a single bench of the Kathmandu District Court found Lamichhane guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman, and the sentence was announced on January 10. The court also fined him 300,000 rupees (US$2,255). approx) and ordered him to pay 200,000 rupees (approximately US$1,500) in compensation to the victim. Lamichhane’s lawyer, Saroj Ghimire, told AFP that he would “appeal the decision to a higher court”.