Kurla BEST Bus Tragedy: Bombay HC Grants Bail To Accused Driver Sanjay More In Crash That Killed 9, Cites Negligence Angle

Mumbai, March 31: More than a year after his arrest, the Bombay High Court has granted bail to BEST driver Sanjay More, who is accused of ramming a bus into pedestrians and vehicles in Kurla in December 2024, killing nine people.

Justice R.M. Joshi granted bail to More on March 30. He had approached the High Court after a sessions court rejected his earlier bail plea. The detailed order is still awaited.

Charges and earlier rejection of bail

More was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing grievous hurt, and mischief.

He approached the HC after his bail plea was rejected by the sessions court while relying on a Regional Transport Office (RTO) report. The report ruled out any mechanical fault in the bus and said it was difficult to believe that the accident was caused by brake failure or malfunction.

Details of the Kurla incident

The incident took place on December 9, 2024, near Kurla railway station. A BEST electric bus driven by More lost control, killing nine people, injuring 37 others, and damaging 22 vehicles.

Defence cites lack of training

Before the High Court, his advocates Advait Shukla, Neetu Singh, and Amandeep Singh Sra argued that he had not received proper training to drive an electric bus. Although his employment contract required at least seven days of training, he was given only three days, and that too through PowerPoint presentations. They also pointed out that forensic reports showed he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident.

His lawyers said the case should be treated as one of death caused by negligence under Section 106 of the BNS, which carries a maximum punishment of five years.

They also noted that More has already spent about 15 months in jail and that the trial is likely to take a long time, as the prosecution plans to examine 96 witnesses.

Prosecution opposes, court leans towards negligence

The prosecution opposed the bail plea, saying the incident was serious and led to multiple deaths and injuries. It argued that More was aware of his actions, which amounts to culpable homicide.

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However, the High Court observed that, at this stage, the case appeared closer to negligence. It also noted that no witnesses have been examined yet, despite charges being framed in October last year. Considering these factors, the court granted bail.

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