Mumbai, November 02, 2026: The Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to Santosh Ramesh Sawant, 52, the BEST bus driver arrested in connection with an electric bus crash in Bhandup that killed four people and injured 12 others on December 29, 2025.
Justice Shyam Chandak noted that there was prima facie substance in the argument that Sawant may not have received the required training to drive an electric bus. Sawant had been in jail for 11 months.
Four Killed In Bhandup Bus Crash
According to the prosecution, Sawant was driving the electric bus near Bhandup railway station (West) at around 9.30 pm when it rammed into passengers waiting at a bus stop. He allegedly drove at high speed despite being aware that people were present.
Opposing bail, the prosecution argued that Sawant had driven rashly and negligently despite knowing the risk to passengers.
Defence Cites Lack Of Electric Bus Training
Sawant’s advocate, Devendra Patil, argued that Sawant had been asked to drive the electric bus without undergoing the necessary training. Refusing the assignment could have resulted in disciplinary action and loss of employment, he submitted.
He also pointed out that there was no material to show that Sawant had intentionally driven at high speed or was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The court noted that a BEST depot manager’s letter to the police on January 7 stated that no certificate was available to establish whether Sawant had received electric bus training. His name was also missing from the list of trained drivers. Despite this, BEST had allowed him to drive the bus on route 606 from December 1, 2025.
“Without sufficient training the applicant was called upon to drive that bus and ultimately it led to the accident,” the court observed.
Court Notes No Previous Accident Record
It also noted that Sawant had been working with BEST since 2011 and had no previous accident record.
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The court said the alleged offence under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita could prima facie fall under Section 106, which carries a maximum five-year sentence. Considering that 56 witnesses had been cited and the trial was unlikely to conclude soon, it granted him bail on a bond of Rs 25,000 with sureties.
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