Recent traffic incidents involving speeding BEST buses have resulted in tragic outcomes for several families in Mumbai. An 80-year-old retired teacher was returning home with a newly exchanged library book when he was struck. A 12-year-old boy was walking home from school, and an interior designer made a quick stop by the roadside when he also fell victim to the same fate.
Additionally, a motorcycle commuter from the Aarey slum, who had recently lifted his family out of poverty, faced a similar tragedy. A 19-year-old college student from Dharavi, who had aspirations to succeed and promised his father he would ‘become somebody,’ also lost his life in these incidents.
These events highlight the urgent need for improved traffic safety measures in Mumbai, as ordinary moments can quickly turn into devastating tragedies under the wheels of public transport.
Among these fatal incidents, 55-year-old interior designer Hemant Joshi’s death has now resulted in one of the largest compensation orders against the city’s transport undertaking. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal this month directed BEST to pay nearly Rs 5.25 crore to his Mahim-based family. RTI activist Anil Galgali had asked the BEST administration about accidents, loss of life and financial compensation in the past 5 years. Between 2019-2024, through various means, the undertaking has disbursed approximately Rs 42.4 crore in compensation across 494 accident cases involving both fatalities and injuries. The yearly payouts reveal a fluctuating but heavy financial toll: Rs 9.55 crore was paid for 140 cases in 2019-20, followed by Rs 3.4 crore for 77 cases in 2020-21, and Rs 9.45 crore for 99 cases in 2021-22. Among the cases currently pending against BEST before the tribunal are claims of families of 11 victims including Shivam Budhraj, who died after Sanjay More, a contract BEST bus driver alleged ploughed through a crowd in Kurla in Dec 2024 after allegedly losing control of the vehicle, killing nine persons and injuring 37. In a tiny rented 10-by-12 room tucked away in Dharavi, the absence of Budhraj Kashyap’s eldest son Shivam remains a heavy, palpable presence. Today, Kashyap still walks the streets as a hawker, earning barely Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 to feed and educate his two younger boys. On June 21, 2023, 80-year-old retired school teacher Aruna Jadye was standing near a footpath after visiting a library and waiting for a route 66 BEST bus. After an FIR was registered against the driver for causing death by negligence, the tribunal awarded Rs 1 lakh in compensation to her son. On Feb 8, 2025, 28-year-old IT support executive Arun Kavandar was riding his motorcycle through Aarey Milk Colony wearing a helmet when a speeding BEST bus dashed into him near a bus stop. For the loss of Kavandar, the tribunal ordered BMC pay his mother and siblings a compensation of Rs 51.48 lakh. Among the youngest victims was 12-year-old Bandra (E) resident Mohammad Ansari. In Oct 2024, the class six student was fatally struck from behind by a speeding BEST bus at Kherwadi. His parents were awarded around Rs 17.29 lakh compensation in Feb this year. Between 2019 and 2024, buses were involved in 834 accidents across Mumbai, involving BEST and private contractors with 88 lives lost. BEST had 352 accidents with 51 fatalities while private contractors had 37 fatalities out of 482 accidents. The year 2022-23 and 2023-24 recorded the maximum 21 deaths each. The MACT is currently dealing with a backlog of more than 7,766 pending cases . RTI records show that between 2019-24, only 12 dismissals were recorded in fatal accident cases and 2 in personal injury cases.
The data released to him in last year highlights the scale and financial magnitude of these accidents. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
Advocate A A Hamdani who represents the injured victims and the families of seven deceased said that they have sought “just compensation”. The 19-year-old was not just a college student, he was the family’s ticket to a better life, constantly promising his father he would “become somebody”. Advocate Tushar Shingte said such victim-blaming defences are common in motor accident claims, but tribunals are not governed by the same strict standard as criminal courts. It is meant to compensate and protect victims and their families,” Shingte said. He said the burden of proof before the claims tribunal is significantly lower than in a criminal trial. But the tribunal conducts a summary trial, and the evidence is tested on the touchstone of preponderance of probabilities,” he said. Once the involvement of the vehicle is established, the tribunal generally leans in favour of the victim unless the FIR clearly and entirely blames the deceased or injured person, according to Shingte. “Unless the FIR explicitly faults the victim, the benefit of doubt goes to the victim and the family,” he said. Evaluating the police chargesheet against the bus driver alongside the witness testimonies, the tribunal said, “I am satisfied that applicants have duly discharged their burden. Despite repeated compensation awards, Shingte said large payouts have not translated into meaningful road-safety improvements. “Massive awards have not reduced accidents,” Shingte said and agreed that they are treated as the cost of doing business. “Earlier, the corporation had a policy of not settling any claim less than two years old, which only increased interest liability and burdened both victims and the corporation,” he said. Galgali says that this shows the need for more precautions from the administration and employees.
For families already living on the edge, the death of an earning or aspiring child has meant not only grief but a collapse of hope. “The Motor Vehicles Act is a benevolent legislation. “That is why third-party insurance is mandatory. The law prioritises protection of the public over the business interests of insurance companies. “In a criminal court, negligence must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Joshi’s case reflects a wider crisis on Mumbai’s roads, where routine acts have proved fatal. A speeding low-floor bus operated under Evey Transport Pvt Ltd arrived rashly, knocked her down and trapped her underneath. She could be pulled out only after the bus was lifted with a car jack provided by a passing taxi driver. The danger extends to younger motorists as well. The collision killed him on the spot. BMC through BEST contested the claim by alleging that Kavandar was speeding and at fault for the crash. However, the civic body failed to produce any evidence or independent witnesses to substantiate the claim that the deceased rider was negligent, while police records indicated the bus driver was driving rashly. Mohammad fell and the front tyre of the bus ran over him. He was immediately rushed to V N Desai Hospital in Santacruz by the bus conductor but succumbed to his injuries. the tribunal rejected this defence, relying on the police charge-sheet filed against the bus driver for rash and negligent driving While BEST attempted to argue that the boy was pushed by another student. “Drivers continue to behave recklessly — entering crowded lanes without caution, tailgating two-wheelers and driving aggressively. To reduce litigation, BEST has increasingly turned to Alternative Dispute Resolution. He added that this has changed with private insurance companies joining the fray. Internal accountability also appears limited. The most common punishments for drivers involved in fatal crashes were reduction in pay scales or temporary suspensions. Download the TOI App.
The compensation figures then peaked in 2022-23, reaching Rs 12.4 crore across 107 cases, before settling at Rs 7.5 crore for 71 cases during 2023-24. In two separate pleas settled before the Lok Adalat conducted on March 14 this year, claims ranging from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 13 lakh were settled. Similarly a claim of Rs 90 lakh, pending just for a few months was settled before the Lok Adalat conducted on Sept 13, 2025.
These claims were pending for only about a year.
“He was 19, just starting college. The accident took place in 2024, when Dec 9 arrives, it will have been two full years. While the family has received relief of around Rs 7 lakh–Rs 2 lakh interim relief from BEST and rest from the state–Kashyap said the process is slow. In 2018, Joshi was crossing the Eastern Express Highway service road near Mulund to return to his car after answering nature’s call when a BEST bus, driven rashly and negligently, knocked him down and killed him.
He used to tell me he would do some good work, that he would become somebody,” Kashyap said. However, with insurance companies now representing such cases, things sometimes move a lot slower,” a person privy to the claims said. “He was our eldest child. The Joshi family’s plea took eight years for a verdict with claims and counter claims requiring witness testimony. BEST, represented by the BMC, argued that Joshi was distracted on his mobile phone and failed to notice the approaching bus. The tribunal rejected the defence, relying on the police investigation, chargesheet and eyewitness testimony of Joshi’s assistant to hold the driver fully negligent.
“We had expected the BEST to settle the claims instead of undergoing a full fledged procedure before the MACT.