Kathmandu. The Patan High Court has overturned the order of the Kathmandu District Court to keep cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane in custody pending trial. The bench ordered Sandeep to be released on a date.

The joint bench of Justices Dhruvraj Nand and Ramesh Dhakal reversed the order of the district court after hearing on Thursday. The bench of Judges Ramesh Dhakal and Dhruvraj Nand ordered Lamichhane to be released on a bond of Rs 20 lakh. But Lamichhane has been ordered not to go abroad, said Thagindra Kattel, registrar of the High Court of Patan.

The lawyers present on behalf of Sandeep in the debate claimed that in the absence of direct evidence, the order to keep Sandeep in custody was unreasonable. He argued that Sandeep should not be detained only on the basis of Jahrewala's statement.

It was mentioned in the debate that Jahrewala, who was said to be a minor, would be confirmed as an adult based on the recently received evidence. Also, the businessman informed the bench that Sandeep's mental condition was deteriorating.

Senior advocates Shambhu Thapa, Raman Shrestha, Krishna Sapkota and advocates Sarojkrishna Ghimire, Roshni Poudel, Murari Sapkota and Savita Bhandari appeared on behalf of Sandeep. Similarly, three legal practitioners on behalf of Jahrewala and one government lawyer on behalf of the government argued.

After the arguments of both sides, the bench reversed the order of the district court saying that it was without merit. Along with this, Sandeep has been released on bail for the preliminary investigation.