Rape-accused former captain of national cricket team excluded from central contract
Kathmandu, February 1
The Cricket Association of Nepal has lifted the suspension of former national cricket team skipper Sandeep Lamichhane even as the country's top law officer sought to have him sent back to custody on rape charges.
Sandeep Lamichhane is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in a Kathmandu hotel room in August but was released on bail last month.
The CAN board meeting held in Pokhara yesterday decided to lift the suspension on Lamichhane hours after the Office of Attorney General moved the Supreme Court against the decision of Patan High Court, which granted conditional bail to the cricketer.
CAN President Chatur Bahadur Chand said there was no point in continuing the suspension after the Patan High Court granted bail to Lamichhane. "It's already been five months and the decision was taken in consultation with lawyers and the International Cricket Council," said Chand.
"We need to follow the international practice in such cases," he added.
Chand said Lamichhane was free to continue playing with the national team. "The decision to include him in the team depends on his fitness level," said Chand. "It's up to the selection committee and the coach. They will take the final call after assessing his fitness," he said. "The CAN is well aware of existing laws. We have lifted the suspension to allow him to do all the things that are not restricted by the court," added Chand.
Lamichhane was, however, excluded from the central contract.
Chand said the final list of players was prepared before the meeting that decided to lift his suspension. "The list of contracted players was already ready and we did not include Lamichhane for the sixmonth term from January to June," Chand said.
Lamichhane was arrested from Tribhuvan International Airport on October 6, more than a month after a 17-yearold girl filed an FIR at Gaushala Police Circle accusing the cricketer of raping her multiple times.
After Kathmandu District Court denied him bail and sent him to the central jail in the rape case, Lamichhane filed the petition at Patan High Court. The case was postponed thrice before the division bench of justices Dhruba Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dhakal granted conditional bail to Lamichhane last month. The court has barred Lamichhane from travelling outside the country, trying to contact the girl or her family members, or posting anything related to the case on social media or public platforms.
Lamichhane allegedly raped the minor at a hotel in Kathmandu on August 21 on the eve of national team's departure to Nairobi for five-match Twenty20 International and three-match One Day Series against Kenya. After leading Nepal to 3-2 victory in the T20I series and also claiming the player-of-the-series award in Nairobi, the globe-trotting cricketer left for the West Indies to play for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League.
But he had to cut short the CPL journey after the case surfaced and the CAN suspended Lamichhane following an arrest warrant from Nepal Police on September 8. The TIA Immigration Department also blacklisted Lamichhane, while the Nepal Police issued a diffusion notice asking Interpol member countries to locate the cricketer.
Lamichhane rose to stardom after he was selected to play in the Indian Premier League by Delhi Daredevils in 2018. The first Nepali cricketer to play in the money-spinning IPL, he was later snapped up by Australia's Big Bash, Sri Lanka Premier League, CPL, Pakistan Premier League, T10 League in the United Arab Emirates, and England's The Hundred.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 2, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
