Kurla BEST Bus Crash: Bombay HC Slams ‘Shocking’ Training Gaps for Electric Bus Drivers, Grants Bail to Accused
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Sanjay More, the BEST driver accused in the Kurla electric bus crash that killed nine people in December 2024, while making sharp observations about the “shocking” absence of proper training given to electric bus drivers.
Justice R. M. Joshi, who allowed the bail plea on March 30, noted that despite More’s prior experience with conventional buses, no practical training was provided to drivers before they were put behind the wheel of electric buses on Mumbai’s roads. The detailed order was released on Thursday.
More had moved the High Court after a sessions court denied him bail. His advocates Advait Shukla, Neetu Singh, and Amandeep Singh Sra argued he lacked adequate training for the electric bus and that forensic reports confirmed he was neither drunk nor under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.
Training Cut from Seven Days to Three — No Road Practice
A prima facie reading of the chargesheet revealed that BEST was contractually bound to provide drivers at least seven days of training. Instead, “for reasons best known to the administration,” it was cut to three days of simulator sessions with zero on-road practice.
“There could absolutely be no justification for not providing adequate training to the drivers before they are called upon to drive buses carrying passengers on busy roads in Mumbai,” Justice Joshi said, adding the decision to curtail training had “apparently… led to the occurrence of such a painful incident.”
The Central Legal Question
With nine deaths and multiple injuries on record, the court said the decisive factor was which legal provision applied Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), as the prosecution argued, or Section 106 (death by negligence), as the defence contended.
On Refusing to Drive
The court dismissed the argument that More should have refused to operate the bus without adequate training. “It is easy to say that the applicant should have refused… however… when employment is scarcely available… it becomes impossible to refuse… for fear of loss of employment,” Justice Joshi observed.
Trial Delay Weighed In
More has been in custody since December 10, 2024. Of 96 listed witnesses, not one has been examined. The court found no indication the trial would conclude within a reasonable timeframe and held that an accused cannot be held behind bars as a “pretrial sentence.”
The court granted bail on a personal bond of ₹15,000 with one surety, directing More not to tamper with evidence. It clarified all observations were prima facie and would not affect the trial proceedings.