NEW DELHI: The Delhi Rohini court on Thursday denied transit anticipatory bail to Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Goa, noting that the “nature of offence, prima facie, is grave and serious in nature where 25 people have lost their lives.”
The court’s decision comes in connection with the deadly fire at the club on 6 December.
Accusations and f light The brothers face charges including injury causing death, manslaughter, and murder. Police allege that they organised a fire show “without taking proper care and caution and without providing fire safety equipment or other safety gadgets.”
Investigators say the Luthra brothers booked a flight to Thailand at 1.17 am on 7 December, while emergency teams were still struggling to contain the blaze and rescue people trapped inside. The fire claimed 25 lives, including five tourists and 20 staff members.
Detention and legal proceedings The brothers have been detained by Thai authorities and will be brought back to India as soon as possible, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed.
The Union Home Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs have been involved in expediting the process.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police informed the Rohini Court that the Luthra brothers had left India shortly after the tragedy. A Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) had already been issued against them by a Goa court.
Their counsel argued that they travelled to Thailand for work-related reasons and sought brief transit protection to approach the competent court in Goa.
The court rejected their bail plea.
Other accused and local official under scrutiny Ajay Gupta, another accused and one of the nightclub’s four owners, was brought to Goa on Thursday and taken to Anjuna Police Station. Gupta had been granted a 36-hour transit remand by Delhi’s Saket Court.
A local panchayat official, Raghuvir Bagkar, will also be arrested for failing to cooperate with the investigation. Two other government officials, Shamila Monteiro and Siddhi Halarnkar, suspended for alleged dereliction of duty, are cooperating.
Government action and safety measures Chief minister Sawant said an inquiry report into the incident will be ready within eight days. Compensation to victims’ families has begun, and safety audits at entertainment venues across Goa have been intensified. Part of the Romeo Lane restaurant in Vagator, also owned by the Luthra brothers, has been demolished following the fire.
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of fire safety standards in nightclubs nationwide, highlighting gaps in enforcement and accountability.
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