NEW DELHI - An Indian court has found an Uber driver guilty of raping a female passenger in his taxi in the Indian capital last year, a court official said Tuesday.
Shiv Kumar Yadav was also convicted of criminal intimidation, kidnapping, and endangering the woman's life, public prosecutor Atul Srivastava told reporters.
"Maximum punishment for the crimes is life imprisonment and we will be pushing for that," Srivastava said.
The 26-year old woman, working in a private firm, had hired the cab for a ride home.
Yadav's lawyer D. K. Mishra said his client was not guilty and he would study the judgment before deciding on the next course of action.
The rape in December last year prompted widespread protests in India against sexual violence and led to demands for more effort to ensure women's safety.
The incident dealt a blow to Uber, which has attracted global popularity and controversy with a service that lets passengers summon cars through an app in more than 250 cities around the world.
The Delhi government banned app-based taxi companies after the incident, accusing the taxi companies of failing to carry out background checks on the drivers they hired. Uber lost its license to operate in the Indian capital but it was restored in July.
Weeks later the company announced a $1 billion investment for the Indian market to expand its services and products.
Yadav's sentencing is expected on Friday.
