Cricket Association of Nepal lifts suspension of rape accused start cricketer: Official

Nepal's Cricket Association lifted the suspension of rape-accused former National team captain Sandeep Lamichhane, according to Nepal's officials.

"Late on Tuesday, the meeting of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) held in Pokhara decided to lift the suspension. Details will be released today," Birendra Bahadur Chanda, CAN official. Meanwhile, Patan High Court to release rape-accused star cricketer on bail has been challenged in the country's apex court by the Office of the Attorney General.

The Attorney General's Office on Tuesday filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding that the rape accused star cricketer be kept behind bars and prosecuted. The petition further claimed the bail decision of the high court to be 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.

On September 6 of 2022, a 17-year-old girl filed a complaint against the then-captain of the Nepal national cricket team, Sandeep Lamichhane, accusing him of raping her. Two days after the formal complaint, the Kathmandu police received an arrest warrant against him.

On the same day, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) suspended Lamichhane from the team.

The following day, the star Nepal cricketer announced he was leaving his CPL team and would return home soon.

On September 11 last year, the Department of Immigration blacklisted the rape-accused cricketer so that the police can arrest him as soon as he enters the country. After nearly two weeks of silence on September 25, 2022, the team captain said he is in isolation to deal with stress but will return to defend his case.

The following day, Nepal Police circulated a diffusion notice among all Interpol members, seeking help to arrest him. On October 6, 2022, Lamichhane arrived in Nepal to get arrested.

On October 10, 2022, Lamichhane was remanded to custody for seven days to let the police continue the investigation. On October 13, 2022, the court again extended the remand by five days.

The order was extended by four days again on October 19, 2022. The remand was extended by two days on October 23, last year.

On October 31, 2022, the government attorney's office filed a lawsuit, demanding a jail sentence of 10 to 12 years against Lamichhane. On November 4, last year, the cricketer was sent to judicial custody until the final verdict.

The Patan High Court on January 12, this year, ordered Lamichhane's release on a bail with conditions.

Lamichhane was released after posting a bail of £12,389.

(ANI)