The ex-captain of the Nepal cricket team and rape suspect Sandeep Lamichhane has been given permission to travel and play cricket in the United Arab Emirates by the Nepal Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Nepal’s Cricket Association lifted the ban on rape-accused former National team captain Sandeep Lamichhane in early February.
The earlier decision of the Patan High Court was overturned by a joint bench of justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Kumar Chudal. The High Court had approved the release of Lamichhane on bail for Rs 2 million but has prohibited the suspected player from leaving the nation under any circumstances.
“The meeting of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) held in Pokhara decided to lift the suspension. Details will be released today,” Birendra Bahadur Chanda, CAN official.
Bail has been challenged in the apex court
Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General has appealed the Patan High Court’s decision to release a rape-accused star cricketer on bail at the country’s highest court.
The Attorney General’s Office submitted a plea to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking that the rape-accused star cricketer be imprisoned and prosecuted. The petition also alleged that the high court’s bail decision was flawed.
“The order is wrong. Therefore, to uphold the order of the Kathmandu District Court, the bail order given by Patan High Court should be changed. We have moved the Supreme Court with the legal basis and provisions for doing so. Since the case of the nature where the accused must remain in custody during prosecution, we have asked the Supreme Court for the same,” said Sanjiv Raj Regmi, the spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General.
Sandeep Lamichhane was accused of raping minor
A 17-year-old girl accused Sandeep Lamichhane of raping her in a complaint on September 6 of 2022. A warrant for his arrest was delivered to the Kathmandu police two days following the formal complaint.
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) dismissed Lamichhane from the squad on the same day. The renowned Nepal cricketer made the announcement the next day that he was leaving his CPL squad and would soon be returning home.
The cricketer accused of rape was placed on a blacklist by the Department of Immigration on September 11 of last year, allowing the police to detain him as soon as he enters the country. The team captain disclosed on September 25, 2022, that he is in isolation to deal with stress but will return to argue his case after nearly two weeks of silence.
Nepal Police sent a notice to Interpol
The next day, Nepal Police sent a diffusion notice to every Interpol member requesting assistance in arresting him. Lamichhane landed in Nepal on October 6, 2022, in order to be detained by the Police.
To allow the police to carry out their investigation, Lamichhane was remanded in detention for seven days on October 10, 2022. The court again increased the remand by five days on October 13, 2022. On October 19, 2022, the order was again extended by four days. On October 23, 2014, the remand was prolonged for an additional two days.
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