BEST bus accident: Accused driver was negligent; nothing wrong with bus, says court
Mumbai (PTI): The driver of the BEST bus, involved in an accident here last month that claimed seven lives, was driving in a rash and negligent manner and it is hard to believe there was any fault in the vehicle, a sessions court has said while refusing him bail.
Additional Sessions Judge V M Pathade rejected the bail application of the accused driver, Sanjay More (54), on January 10.
The court refused to accept More's contention that the accident was due to a technical/ mechanical fault with the bus, as per the detailed order, made available on Tuesday.
Though More has claimed that the accident occurred due to poor maintenance of the bus or brake failure or a mechanical or technical defect, there is no material to prima facie support this contention, the court said.
A report issued by the RTO (Regional Transport Office) prima facie suggests there was no mechanical fault in the bus, it added.
"In this view of the matter, it is hard to believe that there was any mechanical/technical fault or brake failure in the bus which resulted in the very unfortunate mishap," the court said.
More endangered the lives of not just passengers in the bus but also those who were on the crowded road, the court observed.
"It is prima facie seen that the applicant accused was driving the bus in a very rash and negligent manner irrespective of the fact that the road was being used by several others and there were several passengers in the bus too," the order said.
"Considering the gravity and seriousness of the crime and the punishment provided for the offences under which the accused is booked, I do not find it a fit case to enlarge the accused on bail," the judge said.
On December 9, the electric bus, operated by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, dashed into pedestrians and vehicles on a congested road near Kurla railway station. The accident claimed seven lives and left more than 40 other persons injured.
More was arrested the same night and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act.
While seeking bail, More claimed he was a professional driver and that the accident was a result of a sudden and unforeseen mechanical or technical fault in the bus.
The prosecution relied on the RTO's report, which clearly said there was no fault in the bus.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
