- By Ankit Bisht
- Wed, 10 Jan 2024 05:51 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former Nepal cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane has been sentenced to eight years of jail term in a rape case by Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday. The judgement was pronounced by a single judge bench of Shishir Raj Dhakal.
According to court's information officer Chandra Prasad Panthi, the bench also imposed a fine of three lakh Nepalese Rupees and ordered the spinner to pay two lakh Nepalese Rupees in compensation to the victim.
Previously on December 29, the court convicted Sandeep of raping a 26-year-old woman in a Tilganga-based hotel on August 21, 2022. The case was registered against the former Nepal captain on September 6, 2022.
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Despite the conviction, the court dismissed her assertion of being a minor at the time of the incident, refusing to acknowledge the birth dates presented in her academic documents.
Lamichhane's life took a drastic turn when he was arrested at Tribhuvan International Airport on October 6, 2022, upon his return from the West Indies, where he was participating in the Caribbean Premier League.
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Subsequent legal battles saw him detained in the Sundhara-based central jail, only to be released on bail on January 13 after a payment of Rs 2 million (local currency).
The court, however, restricted his travel and demanded that he inform the police when leaving Kathmandu. Dissatisfied with these limitations, Lamichhane sought relief from the Supreme Court, challenging the travel restrictions imposed by the high court.
In a surprising twist, on February 27, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the cricketer, permitting him to travel abroad for games.
(With IANS inputs)