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Sandeep Lamichhane rape charge: CAN lifts suspension hours after govt attorney takes the case to apex court

File: Sandeep Lamichhane
File: Sandeep Lamichhane

Kathmandu, February 1

Nepal’s cricket governing body, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN), has lifted the suspension of former national cricket team captain Sandeep Lamichhane.

A meeting of the CAN central committee on Tuesday night made the decision in Pokhara. Coincidentally, the decision comes on the same day the government attorney filed an application at the Supreme Court, demanding Lamichhane be taken back to judicial custody until the trial over a rape charge filed against him gets concluded.

Lamichhane is facing a charge of raping a minor in August 2022. After a complaint was filed against him with the police in September, CAN suspended him from the role.

The next month he was arrested by police and sent to judicial custody following a preliminary hearing by the Kathmandu District Court. Nonetheless, based on an appeal filed by Lamichhane, the Patan High Court released him on bail in January.

Following the release, his supporters and fans were piling pressure on CAN to lift the suspension.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General went to the apex court on Tuesday, demanding the order to release him on bail be withdrawn.

Sandeep Lamichhane rape charge: What happened when?

2022

September 6: A 17-year-old girl files a complaint against the then captain of the Nepal national cricket team, Sandeep Lamichhane, accusing him of raping her.

September 8: Kathmandu police receive an arrest warrant against him.

September 8: Cricket Association of Nepal suspends Lamichhane from the team.

September 9: Lamichhane leaves his CPL team, saying he would return home soon.

September 11: The Department of Immigration blacklists rape-accused cricket star Sandeep Lamichhane so that the police can arrest him as soon as he enters the country.

September 25: Lamichhane says he is in isolation to deal with stress but will return to defend the case.

September 26: Nepal Police circulates a diffusion notice among all Interpol members, seeking help to arrest him.

October 6: Lamichhane arrives in Nepal to get arrested.

October 10: Lamichhane gets remanded for seven days to let the police continue the investigation.

October 13: The remand is extended by five days.

October 19: The remand is extended by four days again.

October 23: The remand is extended by two days.

October 31: The government attorney’s office files a lawsuit, demanding a jail sentence of 10 to 12 years, against Sandeep Lamichhane

November 4: The cricket star is sent to judicial custody until the final verdict.

2023

January 12: Patan High Court orders to release him on bail.

January 31: CAN lifts suspension of Sandeep Lamichhane hours after the Office of the Attorney General files an appeal demanding he is sent back into judicial custody.

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