Cops say medical exam shows Sanjay More had poor eyesight and high blood pressure; book contractor and sub-contractor for not conducting fitness test on More before putting him at the wheel of bus, which mowed down nine
The BEST bus that crashed into multiple people and vehicles in Kurla
BEST bus driver Sanjay More, who lost control of his bus and killed nine pedestrians, injuring 37 others in Kurla on December 9, 2024, has poor eyesight and suffers from high blood pressure, the charge sheet filed by the Kurla police on February 7 states. As part of the investigation, More underwent a fitness test, which revealed that he was medically unfit to drive.
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Sanjay More, the bus driver. File pic
Following the investigation into the Kurla BEST bus crash, the police have now booked both the contractor and subcontractor from whom BEST had hired him. According to the police, the Kurla BEST bus crash incident occurred around 10.30 pm when the bus, operating on route number 332 from Kurla to Andheri, ploughed through several pedestrians and vehicles over a 100-metre stretch before crashing into a building wall. More, 54, was arrested on the spot under relevant sections of the BNS.
The Kurla police filed a 1,047-page charge sheet, naming More as the main accused, while contractor Evey Trans (Mumbai) Pvt Ltd and subcontractor Morya Trans India Pvt Ltd were listed as co-accused. The investigation revealed that Morya Trans India Pvt Ltd, which had hired More on December 1, had failed to conduct a medical fitness test. “Our medical examination found that More had poor eyesight—both long and short-distance vision defects—along with high blood pressure. The subcontractor failed to produce his medical fitness certificate,” an officer said.
The accused, Sanjay More, being taken to court. File pic
Further, More had spent most of his career driving manual buses and had no prior experience operating an electric, automatic bus. “As per the agreement, the driver should have prior experience with a similar category of vehicle, but More admitted that he had received no training,” the officer added. mid-day had consistently reported how contractors and subcontractors had been excluded from the investigation. After nearly two months, the police have now booked Ramanad Suryawanshi, CEO of Morya Trans India Pvt Ltd, and Ramesh Katigandla, director of Evey Trans India Pvt Ltd.
The charge sheet also revealed that Evey Trans, the Andhra Pradesh-based company, had an agreement to supply both buses and drivers for BEST. However, it subcontracted driver hiring to Pune-based Morya Trans India Pvt Ltd. Investigators found that Evey Trans (Mumbai) Pvt Ltd had failed to provide adequate training. When More was hired, he was given a brief training session at the Dindoshi bus depot, where he took just two rounds lasting 5–10 minutes before being assigned EV bus duty.
The police have booked 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.
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