Uber driver molests passenger in Mumbai
A woman who was travelling from Pali Hill to Versova in Mumbai by an Uber cab, was allegedly molested by her driver. According the victim's friends, the cab driver allegedly stopped the car under the pretext of cleaning the rear windows and then molested her. Uber has permanently suspended the driver and a case has been lodged against the driver at Khar police station.
A 25 year old woman who had hired a Uber cab in Gurgaon after dining with her friends was raped by the cab driver. She had fallen asleep in the car and found it parked at a secluded spot upon waking up, where the driver raped her. The driver had dropped her home after the incident and threatened her not to report it.
The police arrested Yadav near a village in Mathura where he had locked himself up in a small room. A Rs.1 lakh reward was declared on the driver after which a person approached the police with a tip-off about the driver's whereabouts. The Managing Director of Uber was served a notice under section 161 to join the investigation and explain security lapses.
The driver had not undergone the mandatory police verification and no background check was conducted by the company. The driver did not have a driving license issued by the transport authority and there was no GPS system in his car.
The cab service said that they were not aware of the incident until 7 December's morning. Uber had said that safety was their highest priority. The company said that according to their policy they had suspended the driver's account. They said that they were working with the police in the investigation and were ready to assist them in any way they could.
The Delhi government had banned Uber taxis following the case on 5 December and transport department had blacklisted the company from operating in the future. It was only in July 2015 that the High Court revoked the ban.
Yadav's lawyer said that a new page was planted on the chargesheet and was not provided to them. He said that the woman's statements were contradictory. He mentioned that according to police records, the police had reached the spot in an hour whereas the victim said 15 minutes. Her cab boarding time was different in the police statement and one before a metropolitan magistrate.
The Delhi HC had recalled 13 prosecution victims in the case including the victim, agreeing to the accused's plea. Justice Gupta said that no questions could be repeated which were asked earlier. The court said that the accused shouldn't adopt delaying techniques because he was the one suffering in the custody. Delhi Police's advocate Mahajan had opposed the plea saying it amounts to re-trial.
Supreme Court said that Yadav was trying to destroy criminal justice system by trying to re-examine the victim who was embarrassed and insulted earlier. The court said that the process of recall of victims had delayed the trial and led to harassment of the woman. SC disapproved of HC's view that the accused and not the victim will suffer by the recall of witnesses.
A Delhi court convicted Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav in the rape of a 25-year old woman in his taxi. Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja found Yadav guilty for rape, causing grievous bodily harm and for the offence of endangering the life of a woman. All witnesses produced by prosecution had called the accused guilty. The convict's sentencing is scheduled for October 22.
Yadav had 8 FIRs and 2 separate cases registered on him under the UP Goonda act before the case happened in December 2014. He was also arrested in a rape case in 2011 but was let off due to lack of evidence.
The Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav who was incriminated for raping a passenger was handed down life-imprisonment by a trial court. Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja admitted the prosecution's argument that the criminal deserved no leniency for the horrendous offense. Apart from the sentence, the driver was also fined Rs.21,000. The court also directed for Yadav's family to be given rehabilitation and compensation.
