Ten to 12 years of imprisonment sought for suspended captain of National cricket squad
KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 31
A case was registered against suspended captain of the Nepali national cricket team Sandeep Lamichhane at Kathmandu District Court today demanding 10 to 12 years imprisonment and appropriate compensation on the charge of raping a minor girl.
Office of Kathmandu district attorney filed the case today after police completed its investigation of an alleged rape charge by a 17-year-old girl under Section 219 of the Criminal Code Act 2017.
District Attorney Laxman Upadhyay told THT, "We have registered the chargesheet at the district court demanding maximum imprisonment of 10 to 12 years as per existing laws related to minor girls between 16 to 18 years old."
Hearing is likely to start from tomorrow after a bench is finalised through lottery system and the presiding judge is decided.
"The court will allow the accused to put forward his statement and formal hearing will proceed," Upadhyay said.
The chargesheet has also demanded appropriate compensation from Lamichhane as per the physical, mental and other kinds of loss the girl had to undergo because of Lamichhane's alleged act. "The bank account and property owned by Lamichhane have been frozen for the purpose and the judge shall give the verdict on the matter of compensation," Upadhyay said.
Lamichhane has denied the charge calling it a conspiracy against him. But, police say they have gathered proofs against Lamichhane. "We completed the investigation on October 23 and presented the accused before court after recording statements from both sides," said Superintendent of Police Dinesh Raj Mainali of District Police Range Kathmandu.
Police have gathered CCTV footage from the hotel where Lamichhane is accused of raping the girl where both of them are seen entering the hotel.
Similarly, it has also collected the health report of the girl who had gone to the police 16 days after being allegedly raped. Police also have CCTV footage from a hotel at Nagarkot where both had gone a day earlier.
Similarly, police have taken statement from hotel owners and other people related to the case.
Lamichhane has been in police custody from October 6 after police arrested him from Tribhuvan International Airport.
On September 6, the girl along with her guardian (her elder brother) had filed a complaint against Lamichhane at Gausala Police Circle. The girl accused him of raping her in a hotel room in Sinamangal, Kathmandu, on the night of August 21.
After leaving the hotel early morning the next day, Lamichhane had left for Kenya to participate in the Cricket T-20 series in Nairobi. Later he had travelled to West Indies to participate in the Caribbean Premier League.
Lamichhane faced the charge when he was captain of the national cricket team. Later, the Cricket Association of Nepal suspended him from the national squad following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 1, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
