New Delhi:
A court here Tuesday framed rape and other charges against a Uber cab driver accused of sexually assaulting a woman executive here Dec 5 amid high drama as he refused to sign the order.
Later, the accused pleaded not guilty and sought trial in the case.
Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja framed charges under sections 376(2)(m) (while committing rape causing grievous bodily harm or endangering life of a woman), 366 (kidnapping or abducting woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code against Shiv Kumar Yadav.
The court fixed Jan 15 for recording of statement of prosecution witnesses in the case including the victim.
The trial will be conducted on day-to-day basis.
Meanwhile, a high voltage drama was created inside the court room after Yadav refused to sign on the copy of order on charges, claiming that the arguments on charges were not advanced in his presence and he was not given a chance to engage a lawyer for himself.
At this, the court responded that he was present during the argument on charge.
After getting the court's assurance that it is general legal procedure that one has to follow and nothing wrong was being done to him, Yadav signed on the copy while claiming his innocence in the case and also gave it in writing that he was signing the order on charge at his own will.
Meanwhile he told court that he is not impotent.
Yadav, 32, allegedly raped the woman in the cab she hired to head back home in north Delhi's Inderlok area.
Special public prosecutor Atul Srivastava told the court at the last hearing that Yadav caused injuries to the victim while committing rape and tried to have unnatural sex.
In the over 100-page charge sheet, which was filed Dec 24, the police cited 44 prosecution witnesses in support of its case.
Police also relied on forensic evidence and placed on record the route map of his cab.