Kurla BEST Bus Tragedy: Bombay HC Flags ‘Shocking’ Lack Of Training For Electric Bus Drivers, Grants Bail To Accused

Mumbai, April 2: Granting bail to a BEST driver accused in the fatal Kurla electric bus crash that claimed nine lives in December 2024, the Bombay High Court has made strong prima facie observations on the lack of proper training imparted to drivers operating electric buses, terming it “shocking”.

HC questions training standards for electric bus drivers

Justice R. M. Joshi, while allowing the bail plea of driver Sanjay More on March 30, noted that although he had prior experience driving conventional buses, “shockingly, no practical training was given to the drivers” to operate electric buses on city roads. The detailed order was made available on Thursday.

Defence cites lack of training and clean forensic report

More had approached the High Court after a sessions court rejected his bail application. His advocates Advait Shukla, Neetu Singh, and Amandeep Singh Sra argued that he had not received adequate training to drive an electric bus. They also pointed out that forensic reports showed he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident.

Training period curtailed, no on-road practice

A prima facie reading of the chargesheet, the court noted, showed that the BEST Undertaking was contractually required to provide at least seven days of training to drivers. However, “for the reasons best known to the administration”, the training 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 the drivers before they are called upon to drive buses carrying passengers on busy roads in Mumbai,” Justice Joshi observed, adding that the decision to cut short training and skip field exposure had “apparently… led to the occurrence of such a painful incident.”

Court weighs legal provisions in case

While acknowledging that nine persons died and others were injured, the court said the key question was whether the case would fall under the stringent provisions invoked by the prosecution. It termed the “decisive factor” to be whether the allegations would attract Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), as claimed by the prosecution, or Section 106 (death by negligence), as argued by the defence.

Court rejects argument on refusal to drive

The court noted there was no allegation that More was driving the bus unauthorisedly and rejected the contention that he should have refused to drive 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,” the judge said.

Delay in trial cited as key factor

Another key factor was the delay in trial. More has been in custody since December 10, 2024. Despite 96 witnesses being listed, not a single witness has been examined. The court said there was “no reason to believe that the trial is likely to be completed within a reasonable time,” adding that an accused cannot be kept behind bars as a “pretrial sentence.”

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Bail granted with conditions

Accordingly, the court granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 15,000 with one surety, directing More not to tamper with evidence. It clarified that all observations were prima facie and would not influence the trial.

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