Bombay HC grants bail to BEST driver in Bhandup electric bus crash that killed four

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to BEST bus driver Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52). Sawant was arrested in connection with the electric bus accident near Bhandup railway station on December 29, 2025, in which four people died and 12 were injured.

While granting bail, Justice Shyam Chandak said the defence's contention that Sawant may not have received the training required to drive an electric bus appeared prima facie strong.

At the hearing, Sawant's lawyer, Devendra Patil, told the court that his client had been assigned to drive an electric bus without the necessary training. The defence also said that had he refused the assignment, he could have faced disciplinary action and risked losing his job.

The court also took note of a letter from BEST's depot manager, given to the police on January 7. The letter said the undertaking had no certificate showing whether Sawant had received electric bus training. His name was also not on the list of trained drivers. Even so, BEST had assigned him to drive an electric bus on Route 606 from December 1, 2025.

The prosecution, on the other hand, alleges that Sawant was driving fast and negligently. According to the allegation, the bus went out of control near Bhandup railway station (West) and hit pedestrians waiting near a bus stop.

The court also recorded that Sawant has worked with BEST since 2011 and has no previous accident record. It also said the case has a list of 56 witnesses, so the trial does not appear likely to end soon. In view of all this, the High Court granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and sureties.

The accident took place on the night of December 29, 2025. An electric bus built by Olectra Greentech and operated by BEST hit pedestrians near Bhandup railway station. Four people died and 12 others were injured. Bhandup police then arrested Sawant and charged him under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act.

The case has also raised questions about BEST's driver training practices and the deployment of drivers on electric buses.