Nerul corporator held for negligence, gets bail

Nerul corporator Santosh Shetty, owner of Santosh fleet of buses in Navi Mumbai, was arrested by police on Monday for negligence in maintaining the vehicles. He was booked under sections 279, 337, 338 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 184, 56/192 and 190 of the Motor Vehicles Act. The case was registered after one of his buses was involved in the accident on Friday. Shetty was made the co-accused, even as Munna Parsi, 41, the driver of the bus and the prime accused, has been arrested by police. Shetty was produced before the CBD-Belapur court on Monday.

Around 7.30am on Friday, a DPS bus owned by Shetty rammed into a school bus belonging to Seventh Day Adventist School, at Palm Beach Road. The DPS bus was going from Vashi to the school while the other bus was taking a right turn towards Karave village. The DPS bus was over speeding and hence could not stop in time.

Nine students and two teachers from both schools suffered minor bruises and were discharged from Vashi MGM hospital after receiving first aid. However, Rohit Garg, 9, a fifth standard student of DPS, suffered a fracture at the shoulder, and is still admitted at the hospital.

Shetty was later released on bail on a surety of Rs15,000. “The judge said that section 279 slapped on me is applicable only to the driver and not on the owner of the bus. He also said that the section is applicable under only the Motor Vehicles Act and not the IPC. Both of us have been released on bail,” Shetty said.