Uber rape case: HC asks trial court not to pronounce judgment till March 4

The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the trial court hearing Uber rape case not to pronounce its judgment in the case till March 4, while reserving its order on the plea of the cab's driver to recall 28 prosecution witnesses for further cross-examination.

Justice Sunita Gupta reserved the order on rape-accused Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav's plea after hearing arguments from counsel of police and the accused.

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.

Mishra said the driver was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself in the case.

He argued that 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.

Advocate Rajesh Mahajan, appearing for Delhi Police, opposed the plea, saying it was an attempt to "delay the proceedings".

At present, the trial court is hearing final arguments in the case on a day-to-day basis.

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.