Police had sought an additional five days of police custody for Santosh Sawant (52), citing the need for follow-up sessions related to his psychological evaluation scheduled for January 4 and 5
The accident involving a BEST bus took place on the night of December 29. File Pic
A Mumbai court on Saturday remanded the driver of a BEST bus involved in a fatal accident to 14 days of judicial custody, after rejecting the police request for an extension of his custodial remand, reported the PTI.
Police had sought an additional five days of police custody for Santosh Sawant (52), citing the need for follow-up sessions related to his psychological evaluation scheduled for 4 and 5 January.
Fatal accident near Bhandup Railway Station
The accident involving a BEST bus took place on the night of December 29, when an electric bus manufactured by Olectra Greentech, operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, rammed into pedestrians near Bhandup (West) suburban railway station.
The crash resulted in four deaths and left 10 people injured, officials said.
Charges against driver
Sawant was arrested by Bhandup police soon after the incident under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles Act for negligent driving.
He was produced before a magistrate’s court in Mulund after completion of his initial period of police remand.
Defence opposes further police remand
According to the PTI, opposing the police plea, defence lawyer Satish Rane informed the court that all required medical examinations had already been completed.
He argued that further police custody could not be granted solely on the grounds of escorting the accused for medical follow-ups, as per the PTI.
Court’s observations
Accepting the defence argument, the court ruled that police custody was not necessary and ordered that Sawant be sent to judicial custody instead, the news agency reported.
The court stated that the police are free to take the accused for psychological follow-up evaluations from jail, if required, as per the PTI.
Bus driver denies fault, blames handbrake lapse
Meanwhile, the police officers investigating the Bhandup BEST bus mishap had earlier said that the arrested driver continued to deny responsibility during his interrogation over the past two days, claiming the accident occurred due to a lapse by the previous driver who allegedly left the handbrake engaged. However, police said that as per protocol, it was Sawant’s responsibility to conduct a mandatory pre-departure check of the vehicle before taking it on the road.
“Regardless of what the previous driver may have done, the driver starting the shift is required to check the condition of the vehicle, including the handbrake,” a police inspector had earlier said.
Previously, police had said that brake failure could be the reason for the crash.
Police added that Sawant’s statement is being assessed alongside technical findings and CCTV footage as part of the investigation into the crash, which killed four pedestrians and injured others near Bhandup railway station on Monday night.
(with PTI inputs)
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