Lamichhane is currently out on bail. He was arrested back in November 2022, after a 17-year-old girl alleged that he raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu in August the same year.
News agency PTI quoted Kathmandu Post as saying that a single bench of Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal passed the order on Friday, December 29 after the conclusion of the final hearings that started on Sunday, December 24.
Lamichhane is undoubtedly Nepal's most high-profile cricketer. He was in in fact the first player from the country to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his debut for the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise in the 2018 edition.
The Kathmandu District Court on November 4, 2022, had passed an order to send Lamichhane to the Sundhara-based central jail after a detention hearing. The cricketer moved the high court challenging the order. Responding to a review petition filed by Lamichhane, a joint bench of judges Dhruva Raj Nanda and Ramesh Dahal then ordered the Nepal cricketer’s release on a bail bond of Rs 2 million with conditions.
After a rape case was filed against Lamichhane, he was arrested in October at Tribhuvan International Airport on his return from Trinidad & Tobago where he featured in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Lamichhane is popular as a leg-spinner for his skills in T20 franchise leagues around the world, which includes the Big Bash League (BBL), the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well as West Indies’ CPL. He is the second-fastest bowler to claim 50 ODI scalps and the third-fastest to reach 50 T20I wickets.
The 23-year-old has played 51 ODIs and 52 T20Is for Nepal, claiming 112 and 98 wickets respectively averaging 18.06 and 12.58. In his overall T20 career, 206 wickets in 144 matches at an average of 17.44 and an economy rate of 6.78 with three four-fors and one five-wicket haul.
Lamichhane’s most recent appearance for Nepal came in November 2023 when he featured in the
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier Final against Oman. Lamichhane starred in the tied match with figures of 2/30.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
