Ex-Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane appeals against prison sentence after being convicted of rape 

Nepal cricketer and former captain Sandeep Lamichhane appealed against his eight-year-old prison sentence after being convicted of rape. Lamichhane has also been granted permission to stay out of jail while the legal proceedings take place against his appeal. On Thursday, Lamichhane appeared before the Patan High Court to challenge the District Court’s ruling. His lawyer Saroj Ghimire while speaking to AFP informed about the development.

Sandeep Lamichhane was convicted of rape in December last year and he received an eight-year prison sentence in January 2024. Saroj Ghimire stated that Lamichhane’s plea to be released from detention while the appeal was being processed had been granted. She said, “We have filed an appeal against the court’s decision.”

Sandeep Lamichhane appeals against rape conviction

By Section 219 (3) (e) of Civil Code 2074, a single bench of judges Sishiraj Dhakal rendered a ruling on December 29 of 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 Code Procedure, the verdict found that the accused had “raped the victim taking advantage of her poor economic condition.” Therefore, he was found guilty.

Following Lamichhane’s arrest from Tribhuvan International Airport on October 6, 2018, the case began to fall apart due to a complaint that claimed he had sexually assaulted a youngster on September 6 of the same year.

The ruling notes that “Gaushala 26” and Sandeep Lamichhane stayed in a hotel room in Kathmandu following their return from a trip to Nagarkot, and it further claims that Lamichhane had sexually assaulted her there, citing statements from both parties, the CCTV footage, and an eyewitness report.

After an arrest warrant was issued in 2022, Sandeep Lamichhane first failed to return 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 sacked as the national captain of Nepal. Because of this, he was able to continue playing for his country in the 2023 Asia Cup as well as the World Cup qualifiers.

Being the most sought-after Nepali cricket player in the world’s most lucrative T20 franchise competitions was largely due to Sandeep Lamichhane. His major break came in 2018 when he was signed for the wealthiest cricket league in the world, the Indian Premier League.

Sandeep Lamichhane has 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 games for Nepal. Lamichhane has picked 98 wickets in T20I cricket whereas he has a total of 112 scalps in the 50-over format. The leggie has picked up 1 fifer in T20Is whereas he has a total of 3 fifers in ODI cricket.

Apart from Sandeep Lamichhane, Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was also accused of sexual assault in November 2022. However, he was cleared of all charges.