Re-examination of Uber rape victim continues in-camera

The re-examination of the woman allegedly raped by an Uber driver continued on Saturday in a Delhi court.

The woman is being re-examined in-camera by the counsel for accused Shiv Kumar Yadav, whose plea to recall several prosecution witnesses was recently allowed by the Delhi High Court.

According to sources, Yadav’s counsel asked the woman several questions regarding her outing with friends in a hotel on the evening of December 5, 2014, after which she had boarded the taxi driven by the accused from Vasant Vihar.

According to sources, Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja disallowed several questions asked by the defence counsel and the woman too refused to answer them. The statement was recorded in the presence of the judge and only the parties concerned. Her cross-examination, which remained inconclusive, will continue on March 9.

The woman was called for re-examination by the defence counsel on March 5, when she was understood to have told the court that she was traumatised due to undue delay in proceedings owing to dilatory tactics of the accused and was being made to re-live the incident.

Final arguments

The court, which was hearing final arguments in the case, summoned the woman in compliance with the Delhi High Court order, passed on an appeal filed by Yadav seeking to recall all the 28 prosecution witnesses to cross-examine them once again in the case.

The High Court however allowed Yadav to recall only 13 prosecution witnesses including the woman, doctors, forensic expert and Investigating Officer of the case.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on December 5 when the victim, a finance executive working in Gurgaon, was heading back home.

The police said the woman had taken the taxi from Vasant Vihar to return to her house in North Delhi, but the accused took another route and allegedly raped her. Yadav was arrested two days later from Mathura. In her statement recorded before the court earlier, the woman had identified Yadav as her rapist.

The court has framed charges against Yadav under the Indian Penal Code for alleged offences of endangering a woman’s life while raping her, abducting with an intent to compel her for marriage, and criminally intimidating and causing hurt.

The court has also recorded the testimony of the accused, in which he termed the charge against him as “false”. -- PTI