Ahead of T20 World Cup, Sandeep Lamichhane declared innocent of rape charges by Nepal High Court

Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, on Wednesday, was acquitted of rape charges in a case dating back to 2022 after he was accused of assault by an 18-year-old woman.

Lamicchane, who was convicted of rape by the Kathmandu District Court in January and sentenced to eight years in jail, was proven innocent in the Nepal High Court and freed of all the charges raised against him.

“The district court’s verdict has been overturned, Sandeep Lamichhane has been acquitted,” setopati.com quoted the High Court’s deputy registrar and spokesperson, Bimal Parajuli, as saying.

“He had to be cleared and the high court has set him free. He was not guilty,” Sabita Bhadari Baral, a lawyer for the player told Reuters after the court verdict, details of which are yet to be released.

The verdict means that Lamicchane, who wasn’t picked in the provisional squad named by Nepal for the T20 World Cup, might make the cut yet with the deadline from ICC for final squad submission being May 25.

After being sentenced to prison by the District Court earlier this year, and instructed to pay compensation to the alleged victim, the cricketer was granted bail of Rs 2 million, reversing the decision of the Kathmandu district court. The 23-year-old was also barred from leaving the country until the final verdict of the court in the case.

In February, the Scotland cricket team players had refused to shake Lamichhane’s hands after their 3-wicket loss to Nepal.

The Scottish players shook hands with every Nepal player, except Lamichhane as part of a silent protest to the spinner’s continued presence and participation in the ICC’s Cricket World Cup League 2 series which also includes Namibia. Lamichhane had been made aware of the protest beforehand.

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Lamichhane was the first cricketer from Nepal to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he made his debut for the Delhi Capitals in 2018.

The leg-spinner was also a much sought-after cricketer in other big-ticket T20 leagues around the world, including the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the CPL.

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