The Bombay High Court has granted bail to the driver of a BEST bus that mowed down nine people in Mumbai’s Kurla area in December 2024, terming it “shocking” that drivers received no practical training to operate electric buses.
Bail granted
Justice RM Joshi on March 30 granted bail to Sanjay More on a personal bond of Rs 15,000. More had been in jail since his arrest immediately after the accident.
Training lapse
In its order, made available on Thursday, April 2, the court noted that More had experience driving conventional buses, but “shockingly, no practical training was given” for operating electric buses on city roads.
Sanjay More, the bus driver. Pic/By Special Arrangement
The court pointed out that Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport was contractually required to provide at least seven days of training. However, the period was curtailed to three days and limited to simulator sessions without any on-road practice.
“There could absolutely be no justification for not providing adequate training to drivers before they operate buses carrying passengers on busy roads in Mumbai,” the court said.
Court observations
The bench said the decision to cut short training and skip field exposure apparently led to the incident. It added that while it may be easy to say the driver should have refused to operate the bus, scarcity of employment makes such a refusal difficult.
The accused had also stated, citing a medical report, that he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident. The court noted that More had been in custody since December 2024 and that the trial was unlikely to conclude soon.
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