Kurla bus tragedy: Court denies bail to accused BEST bus driver again

Nine people had died in the Kurla bus accident. File pic

A court in Mumbai on Friday denied bail to the driver of the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking bus involved in an accident that claimed nine lives and left 42 others injured four months ago, stating that the offence was serious in nature, news agency PTI reported.

This marked the second instance in which the court rejected a bail plea by the accused driver, Sanjay More. His latest application was turned down by Additional Sessions Judge VG Raghuwanshi.

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The bus had veered out of control and rammed into several vehicles and pedestrians on SG Barve Marg in Kurla (West) around 9.30 pm on December 10, 2024.

Following the incident, More was arrested under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to PTI, he filed a fresh bail plea after the police submitted a new charge sheet in the Kurla bus accident case, stating that the investigation had been completed. In the application, More argued that further incarceration was unwarranted and claimed he had been "falsely implicated" in the case.

The accused also contended that Section 110 of BNS (attempt to commit culpable homicide) was not applicable, as there was "no intention to cause harm". His plea described the incident as "unfortunate".

It further stated that he had received only three days of training to operate an electric bus, despite the mandatory requirement of 15 days, PTI reported.

However, the prosecution maintained that there was no mechanical fault in the vehicle. It submitted that More had driven an electric bus for 728 kilometres, and therefore, could not claim that he had not been properly trained.

The prosecution also noted that the informant in the case, a police officer, had witnessed the Kurla bus accident and reported that the vehicle was "being driven in a rash and reckless manner". It added that the applicant had no psychological issues and was not intoxicated at the time of the incident.

After hearing both sides, the court observed that the earlier bail order had detailed its reasoning and that there had been "no change in circumstances".

"The offence is very serious, in which nine persons were killed, several persons were injured and several vehicles were damaged. This is not a fit case to exercise discretion in favour of the applicant," the court concluded.

(With PTI inputs)