Pre-arrest bail plea of Arpora sarpanch, ex-secy rejected

Panaji: A Mapusa court on Tuesday rejected the anticipatory bail applications of Arpora sarpanch Roshan Redkar, and suspended former secretary Raghuvir Bagkar, in connection with the fire at the nightclub, Birch by Romeo Lane on Dec 6.

The court also issued notice on a bail application by Romeo Lane’s chief general manager, Rajib Kumar Modak, in connection with the fire at the club. Filed by advocate Vinayak Porob, the application stated that Modak is a permanent resident of Delhi and posted at Romeo Lane in Indore, and had no operational, administrative, or decision-making role in the Arpora establishment. His presence in Goa was limited to a brief visit prior to the incident, the court was told. The matter was fixed for Jan 5 for the investigating officer’s reply.




The sarpanch and secretary submitted to the court that the panchayat issued a demolition notice for the structure where the club operated and that the director of panchayats had stayed it. Bagkar also submitted to the court that he was transferred from the panchayat in July 2025.

The Anjuna police, opposing their anticipatory bail applications, stated that the secretary played a “prime role” in making the “illegal structure operational, which directly resulted in mass casualties”. The police also stated that the secretary, being a govt official, is the final authority responsible for supervising the procedure while issuing an establishment/trade licence, but, in connivance with the sarpanch, misused his position and facilitated the issuance of the licence without following statutory procedure, enabling the illegal operation of the nightclub in a highly unsafe structure.

The police further submitted that his role, and that of the sarpanch, was “grave, active, and cannot be diluted at this stage”.