Uber, a car service app, driver Shiv Kumar Yadav was accused for raping a woman who only requested for a ride home in December. The 26-years-old passenger stated that she had fallen asleep in the back of the vehicle and woke up with Yadav beside her in the back seat in a secluded location. The incident caused protests and authorities pulled Uber cars off the roads. About six weeks later, Uber operations resumed and made licensed requirements.
Tuesday October 20th, Indian court has convicted Yadav of charges including kidnapping, rape and endangering a woman related to the New Delhi crimes. (Delhi crimes are reports of ride hailing services associated with rape, dowry deaths, abductions and molestation in India.) Yadav has been charged with rape, carrying illegal firearms, disorderly behavior and molestation in the past.A sentence hearing will be conducted on Friday and this time Yadav faces life sentence in prison.
The victim filed a lawsuit against Uber yet withdrew due to Uber’s response to assure crimes such as rape could never happen again. Amit Jain, president of Uber India stated that “Safety is a priority for Uber and we’ve made many improvements”. Uber announced that it would institute background checks, installed a panic button as well as a tracking feature that allows up to five people to know trip details and real time locations.