Mumbai Court Frames Charges Against BEST Bus Driver in Bhandup Crash

A Mumbai sessions court on Friday framed charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Santosh Sawant, a BEST bus driver accused in a fatal road accident. The incident, which took place outside the Bhandup railway station, occurred on December 29, 2025, and resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to 12 others.

Sawant was produced before the sessions court through video conferencing from prison on Friday. During the proceedings, the formal charges were read out to him. Sawant pleaded not guilty to the charges and opted to face trial. The court is expected to begin hearing the trial in the case after completing the required procedural formalities.

According to the case registered at the Bhandup police station, the accident occurred when Sawant was driving a nine-metre-long electric bus on Route 606. The bus is operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.

Sawant’s defense lawyer, Devendra Patil, argued in court that the driver had not been given proper training to operate an electric bus. Patil contended that this lack of specialized training reduced his client's culpability, maintaining that the fatal incident was an accident.

However, the court had previously rejected Sawant’s bail plea. In its ruling, the court observed that the driver was well aware that he had not been trained and was unfamiliar with the electric bus’s driving technique.

The court previously remarked that Sawant casually sat in the driver’s seat, disregarding the possible consequences of the bus running over hundreds of people. With the charges now officially framed, the case will proceed to trial.