Mumbai court discharges 2 officials of BEST’s contract firms in 2024 Kurla bus accident case

While the driver, Sanjay More, who was on contract with BEST, remains in custody and will face trial, the court discharged Ramesh Katigandla and Ram Suryavanshi. The Mumbai police had filed a chargesheet naming More and the two, alleging negligence in the selection, training and monitoring of drivers.

The detailed order on the reasons the court discharged the two is yet to be made available.

Katigandla, the managing director of Evey Trans (MUM) Pvt Ltd, and Suryawanshi, CEO of Morya Trans India Pvt Ltd, had in their discharge pleas stated there is no single piece of evidence to show that they were responsible for the act through any act of negligence. They stated that the chargesheet included statements from eyewitnesses who had testified about the driver’s role in causing the accident.

Advocates Suvarna Avhad and Sharanya Vast, appearing for the two, stated that More had over three years of experience driving BEST buses. They also stated that the BEST was the final authority to appoint him and that he received the requisite training to drive the bus. They also submitted that the BEST itself and the operations staff, who are responsible for the day-to-day functioning, recruitment, and operations of the transport authority, were not made accused but instead referred to as witnesses.

In February, the two were granted anticipatory bail after they stated that the bus and drivers were provided to the BEST in compliance with the agreement, and training was also provided for the stipulated one week, as per the agreed-upon terms. It was also submitted that More had been in service since November 21, 2024, and had operated electric buses for 728 km before the accident; hence, it cannot be said that he lacked training. It was argued that no criminal liability can be attributed to them.

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