Mumbai: A sessions court on Friday rejected the bail plea of BEST driver Sanjay More, the wet lease driver who crashed a BEST bus into dozens of vehicles and pedestrians, killing eight and injuring 42 in Kurla last month. More was arrested soon after the incident and booked under the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The 54-year-old tested negative for alcohol.
On Dec 9, a crowded BEST bus on route 332 travelling between Kurla and Andheri lost control near the White House building next to the L ward office. The fast-moving bus struck multiple vehicles and people walking on the street before finally crashing into the entrance of Ambedkar Nagar at around 9:30 pm on Monday. The collision involved five to six autorickshaws, 10 motorcycles, and approximately 10 pedestrians.
It was alleged that the bus accelerated on a congested 300m stretch near Kurla station, hitting vehicles and pedestrians, and killed nine people. More claimed he noticed a spark and mistakenly accelerated the bus instead of applying brakes.
He further claimed that he was assigned the automatic transmission electric bus on December 1 but barely had experience driving it. He was used to heavy vehicles with gears. BEST, however, said the driver received three days of training on an electric bus before deployment.
The lawyer for the accused submitted that More was being made a scapegoat. It was also submitted that the technical issues with the bus were not being brought out. The lawyer also submitted that the bus was not seized by the police; instead, it was kept at a depot, where the Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials examined it and ruled out any mechanical failure.
The prosecution opposed the bail plea and called More a flight risk.
Mumbai: A sessions court on Friday rejected the bail plea of BEST driver Sanjay More, the wet lease driver who crashed a BEST bus into dozens of vehicles and pedestrians, killing eight and injuring 42 in Kurla last month. More was arrested soon after the incident and booked under the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The 54-year-old tested negative for alcohol.
On Dec 9, a crowded BEST bus on route 332 travelling between Kurla and Andheri lost control near the White House building next to the L ward office. The fast-moving bus struck multiple vehicles and people walking on the street before finally crashing into the entrance of Ambedkar Nagar at around 9:30 pm on Monday. The collision involved five to six autorickshaws, 10 motorcycles, and approximately 10 pedestrians.
It was alleged that the bus accelerated on a congested 300m stretch near Kurla station, hitting vehicles and pedestrians, and killed nine people. More claimed he noticed a spark and mistakenly accelerated the bus instead of applying brakes.
He further claimed that he was assigned the automatic transmission electric bus on December 1 but barely had experience driving it. He was used to heavy vehicles with gears. BEST, however, said the driver received three days of training on an electric bus before deployment.
The lawyer for the accused submitted that More was being made a scapegoat. It was also submitted that the technical issues with the bus were not being brought out. The lawyer also submitted that the bus was not seized by the police; instead, it was kept at a depot, where the Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials examined it and ruled out any mechanical failure.
The prosecution opposed the bail plea and called More a flight risk.