Bombay High Court grants bail to BEST bus driver in Bhandup accident case

UPDATE - follow-up to Court grants bail to driver of bus in Bhandup accident case: The Bombay High Court has granted bail to BEST bus driver Santosh Sawant in the Bhandup station accident case that left four people dead and 12 injured.

Bail Rationale

Justice Shyam Chandak granted the bail after noting that the defence argument had substance at this stage. The court reviewed a letter sent by a BEST depot manager to the police on January 7, which stated that the transport undertaking lacked a certificate confirming whether Sawant had received proper training to operate an electric bus. BEST had assigned Sawant to drive a bus on Route 606 from December 1, 2025, even though his name was missing from the list of trained drivers.

Arguments and Trial

Devendra Patil, the lawyer representing Sawant, argued that refusing the job assignment could have led to disciplinary action and job loss. The defence pointed out that no evidence showed Sawant drove fast on purpose or was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The prosecution had earlier alleged that Sawant drove at speed and without care when the bus went out of control near Bhandup railway station west and hit pedestrians near a bus stop. The High Court considered that Sawant has worked with BEST since 2011 with no prior accident record, has spent 11 months in jail since his arrest, and faces a long trial with 56 listed witnesses after the Sessions Court earlier rejected his bail plea.

Context

Road accident cases involving public transport vehicles often involve complex legal examinations of employer accountability, driver training records, and vehicle safety compliance. Courts frequently weigh factors like long pretrial detention periods and trial delays when deciding on bail applications for accused persons.