Kurla bus accident: Court orders police to return bus to wet-lease operator

The advocate representing the company argued that since the investigation is completed and chargesheet filed, the vehicle is no longer needed for investigation or trial purpose. The prosecution did not object to the plea.

MUMBAI: The sessions court has directed the Kurla police to hand over the electric bus that crashed into several vehicles and pedestrians in Kurla on December 9 last year, resulting in the death of nine people, to Evey Trans Private Limited, which supplied the vehicle on a wet-lease contract with the BEST.

Mumbai, India. Dec 10, 2024: Seven people dead, 20 injured as a BEST bus collided with several vehicles in the Kurla area of Mumbai. Mumbai, India. Dec 10, 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The court, in an order passed on Thursday, stated that the vehicle should be produced before the court as and when required for trial. The plea moved by Evey Trans sought the return of the Olectra Greentech Limited model vehicle, saying it is the lawful owner of the vehicle.

The advocate representing the company argued that the investigation is already completed and chargesheet is filed, due to which the vehicle is no longer needed for investigation or trial purpose. The prosecution did not object to the plea.

The bus accident took the lives of nine people and injured 37 others after the driver of the electric bus, Sanjay More, lost control while driving. The incident occurred around 9:30 pm on SG Barve Marg in Kurla West. The chargesheet filed in February this year has cited “human error” on the part of the driver because of the inadequate training he received to operate the bus.

“Considering the stage of investigation and fact that the applicant’s company is the registered owner, I find no reason to deny return of property,” observed additional sessions judge Avinash Kulkarni.

Handing over the custody of the bus, the court imposed certain conditions. It directed the company to execute an indemnity bond of ₹1.25 crore and not to change the vital parts and colour of the vehicle till the matter is disposed off. “Applicant shall not transfer the said vehicle to anybody by any mode, till disposal of the case,” added the court.

More and two top executives of BEST’s wet-lease contractors - Ramesh Katigandla, director of EveyTrans Private Limited, and Ram Anand Suryawanshi, CEO of Morya Trans India Limited - stand accused in the case. More was employed by Pune-based Morya Trans India, a subcontractor of EveyTrans, which supplied the bus on a wet-lease contract with BEST. He had alleged that he abruptly shifted from manual, geared, diesel vehicles to an automatic electric bus on December 1 and only got three brief training sessions.