Mumbai BEST bus accident: Driver remanded in 14-day judicial custody

Mumbai, Jan 3 (PTI) A court here on Saturday sent the driver of a BEST bus involved in an accident that killed four people to 14-day judicial custody after rejecting the police's plea for further remand.

The police sought 5-day extension of police custody of driver Santosh Sawant (52) citing follow-ups of his psychological evaluation scheduled for January 4 and 5.

The Olectra Greentech-make electric bus of the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking crashed into pedestrians near Bhandup (West) suburban railway station on the night of December 29, leaving four dead and 10 injured.

Driver Sawant was arrested by Bhandup police at the time under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Motor Vehicles Act for negligent driving.

He was produced before a magistrate court in Mulund at the end of his initial remand on Saturday.

While police sought extension of police remand by five days, the plea was opposed by Sawant's lawyer Satish Rane who told court his client's medical tests were already completed.

Remand cannot be granted on the contention of taking him to the medical centre for follow ups, Rane told court.

Finding merit in the defence's argument, the court refused to grant further police remand and sent the accused to judicial custody.

The court said police can take Sawant for psychological evaluation follow ups from jail. PTI AVI BNM