Kurla BEST bus crash: Accused’s lawyer filed RTI to find why bus was sent to Kurla depot before mechanical analysis

Sanjay More is being taken to court. File pic

The accused in the Kurla bus accident case has filed an RTI query seeking details about the whereabouts and status of the damaged BEST bus, suspecting it may have been repaired before undergoing a mechanical analysis.

During the bail hearing, the accused's lawyer, Advocate Samadhan Sulane, claimed that Sanjay More has been made a scapegoat. He also alleged the possibility of tampering with the damaged BEST bus before its technical analysis. "The BEST bus was taken to the Kurla bus depot instead of the Kurla police station or the Wadala RTO. We have filed an RTI application to ascertain the bus's whereabouts after the accident," Advocate Sulane told mid-day.

The accused Sanjay More

"Based on the investigation so far, I would like to ask the Kurla police: why was the bus taken to the Kurla depot instead of the police station or the Wadala RTO? And why haven't the Kurla police booked BEST authorities, given that it is evident no proper training was provided to the driver to operate an electric automatic heavy vehicle?" he questioned during the court session.

The incident occurred on December 9, when Sanjay More, 54, allegedly lost control of the BEST electric bus, resulting in the death of nine people, injuries to 49 others, and damage to several vehicles in the Kurla area.

According to the police, More, who has two decades of driving experience, was driving the bus at a speed of 20-50 kmph in a narrow lane when the accident occurred. "More joined BEST three years ago, and recently underwent training for driving electric buses, and started driving electric buses. On the day of the incident, he drove at 20-50 kmph in a narrow lane despite passengers and the conductor urging him to stop. He claims he saw a spark near the battery, but BEST and RTO reports indicate there were no mechanical issues. The accident was caused by his negligence, and we request the court to deny bail as we need to file the charge sheet," the police argued.

Sulane further alleged that the BEST bus may have been repaired before the technical analysis. "The remand copy states that More was neither drunk nor mentally unfit on the day of the incident. He lost control of the bus as he accidentally pressed the accelerator. From December 1 to the day of the incident, More drove 738 km in the same model of the bus. With such experience, how could he deliberately ram a heavy vehicle? We demand an in-depth investigation, as we suspect the BEST bus was tampered with at the Kurla depot instead of being sent to the Wadala RTO or the Kurla police station," he said in court.

The RTI filed by More's son, Deep seeks information about the status of the damaged vehicle and CCTV footage of the bus after the accident. "We suspect my father is being scapegoated. Through the RTI, we've raised four questions, and we expect the BEST and police authorities to respond," Deep told mid-day.

Four questions in RTI

1 Why was the damaged bus taken to the Kurla BEST depot instead of the Wadala RTO or Kurla police station?

2 Is there CCTV footage of the damaged vehicle at the Kurla depot?

3 Were any orders issued to repair the BEST bus?

4 If yes, who authorised the repairs, and what documents were approved?

The sessions court has heard arguments from both sides and is expected to deliver its verdict on More's bail application on January 10.