The owners of Goa's Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where a devastating fire killed 25, have been granted bail but remain jailed on forgery charges related to obtaining the club's license.
Key Points
- Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, were granted bail in the case related to the deadly nightclub fire in Goa.
- Despite being granted bail in the fire case, the Luthra brothers remain in jail due to their arrest in a separate forgery case.
- The Luthra brothers are accused of forging documents to obtain an NOC from the Health Department for an Excise License for the nightclub.
- Police have filed a charge sheet for alleged culpable homicide against 13 people, including the three owners, in connection with the Arpora nightclub fire.
A sessions court at Mapusa in Goa on Wednesday granted bail to Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in a case related to the devastating fire of last December that killed 25 people.
The Luthras, however, would remain in jail as they were arrested in a case of forgery on Monday.
Hours after a fire broke out at the club situated in Arpora village on December 6, 2025, the brothers fled to Thailand, from where they were deported to India on December 17 and arrested by Anjuna Police.
It was alleged that the nightclub lacked requisite permissions and violated several safety-related rules.
Advocate Parag Rao, their lawyer, said additional sessions judge Dvijple Patkar granted conditional bail to both the brothers in the fire case.
The brothers were taken into custody by Mapusa Police on Monday in an alleged forgery case. Despite getting bail in the fire case, they would continue to remain in prison in the second case.
The duo are accused of forging documents to obtain an NOC from the Health Department which was used to get an Excise License for the club.
The sessions court last week rejected their pre-arrest bail applications in this case. The court on Monday remanded them in the custody of Mapusa Police for four days.
Police have filed a charge sheet for alleged culpable homicide against 13 people including the three owners -- Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra and Ajay Gupta -- in the Arpora nightclub fire case. Gupta was granted bail by a Mapusa court last month.
