A Mumbai court has discharged two senior executives of private firms engaged in operating electric buses, in connection with the Kurla BEST bus accident that claimed nine lives in December last year, reported the PTI.

The duo had been booked, along with bus driver Sanjay More, for negligence in driver training, supervision, and deployment.

Additional sessions judge Avinash Kulkarni on Monday discharged Ramesh Katigandla, managing director of Evey Trans (MUM) Private Limited, and Ram Suryavanshi, CEO of Morya Trans India Pvt Ltd, in the case, according to the PTI.

The bus, operated by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, hit several vehicles and pedestrians after the driver lost control of the wheels on S.G. Barve Marg in Kurla West around 9.30 pm on December 9, 2024.

Nine people were killed and 42 others sustained injuries in the accident.

The electric bus, hired by the civic-run BEST undertaking on a wet-lease basis, ploughed into a crowd and fatally knocked down seven persons and injured 42 others on a crowded road in the Kurla area.

Several vehicles were also damaged in the incident.

The police had later registered an FIR in the matter and arrested Sanjay More, Ramanad Suryawanshi, and Ramesh Katigandla under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 118 (voluntarily causing hurt), 3 (common intention), and other relevant provisions of the BNS and the Motor Vehicles Act.

Advocates Suvarna Vast and Sharanya Vast, who appeared for the accused, argued that More had experience of driving BEST buses for more than three years, as per the PTI.

They pointed out that the public transport undertaking was the final authority to approve More for driving electric buses, and he had been given electric bus training at the BEST depot in Dindoshi.

The defence contended that BEST was not made an accused in the case, and the operations staff, who were directly responsible for the day-to-day activities, recruitment and operational responsibilities, were instead made witnesses, the news agency reported.

The defence submitted that there was no evidence against the duo in the chargesheet filed in the case. 

(with PTI inputs)

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