New Delhi: The latest case has rekindled grim memories of the infamous 2014 rape case involving the driver of an app-based cab service, triggering concerns over regulatory overhauls which were promised after that crime.On the night of Dec 5, 2014, a 25-year-old finance executive hired a cab to return home to north Delhi. The driver took advantage when she slept off, veering into an isolated stretch in the Subhash Place area to assault her.The subsequent investigation exposed massive gaps in accountability, revealing that the driver had bypassed safety checks using forged documents despite already facing criminal charges. The fallout was a temporary ban on the service in the national capital and a global overhaul of ride-hailing safety protocols, introducing mandatory police verification and in-app emergency SOS features.While the trauma persists, the legal system ultimately delivered justice in that landmark case. The perpetrator, Shiv Kumar Yadav, was convicted. In 2015, a court sentenced him to rigorous life imprisonment, a stringent verdict later upheld by Delhi High Court to ensure Yadav remains behind bars without the possibility of early release.Yadav was tried in a specialised fast-track court at Tis Hazari courts by additional sessions judge Kaveri Baweja. The prosecution built an airtight case by examining 28 witnesses and presenting conclusive forensic evidence. In Oct 2015, Yadav was convicted on charges of kidnapping, rape and intimidation.On Nov 3, 2015, judge Baweja awarded Yadav the maximum possible punishment under the law, sentencing him to rigorous life imprisonment with the explicit directive that he remain behind bars until his “natural death”.To prevent any possibility of early release or sentence mitigation, HC reviewed the fast-track court’s proceedings and formally affirmed the stringent verdict in Sept 2018, ensuring the decree of imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life remained permanent.Allegations of misconduct and sexual assault involving cab drivers have continued to surface in Delhi over the years. In Oct 2024, a 19-year-old Delhi University student alleged that a cab driver attempted to assault her during a ride from her rented accommodation near North Campus to ISBT and she narrowly escaped.The student became alarmed when the driver began asking personal questions and deviated from the usual route and took her to an isolated stretch, claiming he knew a shortcut. Sensing danger, she shared her live location with a friend before managing to escape from the cab. The driver then allegedly chased her until she reached a nearby residential complex, where a security guard intervened and helped her. The driver was later detained by police but released shortly afterwards.
