Court refuses to stay proceedings in Uber rape case

A court Thursday refused to stay proceedings in the case of the rape of a woman executive by an Uber cab driver and heard final arguments in the matter.

Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja went ahead with the proceedings saying that any adjournment would be granted only if there is an order from the Delhi High Court, which is likely to pronounce its verdict on March 4 on accused cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav's plea for recall of prosecution witnesses.

Meanwhile, Yadav's counsel began his final arguments in the matter.

The high court Wednesday asked the trial court not to pronounce its judgment in the case till March 4, while reserving its order on the plea of the cab driver to recall 28 prosecution witnesses for further cross-examination.

Yadav's counsel D.K. Mishra has moved the high court, challenging the trial court's order Feb 18 that denied him permission to recall the witnesses contending the driver was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself in the case and witnesses were not properly examined by Yadav's previous lawyer.

Mishra, however, told the court that only 13 of these witnesses needed to be recalled.

Delhi Police's counsel opposed the plea, saying it was an attempt to "delay the proceedings".

The prosecution had Jan 31 completed recording of evidence in just 17 days.

According to police, the woman executive was allegedly raped by 32-year-old Yadav on the night of Dec 5, 2014 in the cab she hired to head back home in north Delhi's Inderlok area. The accused took the woman in an isolated place with the motive to commit the heinous crime.

The court had Jan 13 framed charges of rape, causing grievous bodily harm and endangering the life of a woman, kidnapping a woman, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt against Yadav under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.