Former Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane was found guilty of rape by the Kathmandu District Court on Friday (December 29). Lamichhane is currently out on bail.

As per a report in Kathmandu Post, Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal upheld the charges against Lamichhane following a single-judge bench hearing which commenced on Sunday, though the court found that the victim was not a minor at the time of the crime.

In early September last year, Lamichhane, then the Nepal captain, was suspended by the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) after an arrest warrant was issued against him in Kathmandu over the rape complaint.

Lamichhane was in the West Indies with Jamaica Tallawahs taking part in CPL 2022. The club announced that Lamichhane would be leaving the tournament with immediate effect.

The cricketer, who was arrested after a 17-year-old girl alleged that he raped her in a hotel room in Kathmandu in August last year, was released on bail in January by a Nepal court.

He returned to the Nepal side in February this year - amid protests from rights groups at home - for a Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series at home, against Namibia and Scotland.

However, none of the players from the opposition team shook hands with him. He continued to turn out for Nepal in the ODI World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe and the ODI Asia Cup.

(PTI inputs)