KATHMANDU: A hearing concerning the alleged rape of a minor involving cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane is taking place at the Kathmandu District Court today.
Last week, the case was postponed due to the unavailability of judges, and rescheduled for today’s session.
The court has received all documents requested for this case.
Sandeep has denied the rape allegations, presenting evidence indicating that the victim had reached the age of 18 on the day of the alleged incident.
Subsequently, the court issued a detention order and instructed the local authorities to provide the original birth registration record book of the victim, along with a copy of the form used for citizenship certificate issuance.
However, conflicting documents with varying birthdates have surfaced in court during the interim.
Meanwhile, despite the Supreme Court’s decision to expedite the case, the Kathmandu District Court has not maintained a consistent hearing schedule.
On February 27, the Supreme Court had mandated the finalizing the case against Sandeep from the fast-track process.
Subsequently, on 6 September 2022, a teenage girl had lodged a complaint against Sandeep – the former captain of the national cricket team – at the Gaushala police circle, accusing him of rape.
At the time of the complaint’s registration with the police, Sandeep was participating in the Caribbean Premier League in the West Indies.
