Former Nepal skipper and veteran cricketers Sandeep Lamichhane was granted bail by the Patan High Court in an alleged rape case. Lamichhane will be released on an Rs. 20 Lakh (Nepalese Rupees) bail bond from the Sundhara Central Jail on Friday.
Sandeep Lamichhane, 22, was accused of raping a minor girl on September 6. He was then arrested with charges at the Tribhuvan International Airport on October 6. The alleged girl had claimed that Sandeep took her to various destinations in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur on August 21 after which he finally checked in at a hotel in Sinamangal and allegedly raped the victim.
However, Sandeep Lamichhane refused all the allegations against him at his bail hearing. The Patan High Court will be directing the jail authorities to release him on Friday but have imposed severe travel restrictions on the cricketer including banned international travel.
Sandeep had returned to Nepal to file a review petition
Sandeep Lamichhane had filed a review petition at Patan High Court after Kathmandu District Court found him guilty. A joint bench of judges including Dhruva Nanda and Ramesh Dahal relieved Lamichhane of all the charges with a bailable bond. Sandeep’s lawyer Thagindra Katel addressed the media and confirmed the news.
Meanwhile, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has made no announcement on his release. CAN had suspended Lamichhane from all forms of cricket after his arrest in October. It is likely that the regulating body will take some time before amending its decision.
Sandeep Lamichhane had started to build a remarkable career. He was named the captain of the national team last year and had also led the U-19 Contingent at the 2016 Asia Cup and 2017 Asian World Cup Qualifier. The ace all-rounder had also made it through in the IPL auctions and found a franchise for himself.
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