Goa Nightclub Fire Case: Delhi court rejects anticipatory bail plea of Luthra brothers

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a recent fire claimed 25 lives.

The plea was filed before the Rohini court even as the brothers — who left India shortly after the incident — were detained in Thailand. During the hearing, Goa Police counsel Abhinav Mukherjee argued that the brothers had falsely claimed minimal involvement in the business and said their travel abroad was pre-planned. Police presented multiple documents contradicting the Luthra duo’s claims, including the FSSAI application filed by Saurabh Luthra, a Pollution Control Board application, and GST records showing both brothers and Ajay Gupta as partners.

Police further informed the court that the establishment’s Panchayat license had expired and was not renewed, and that the business was operating without valid permission. The license agreement was also shown as proof that they lacked authorization to run the venue.

The prosecution maintained that the brothers booked their flight at 1.15 a.m. shortly after the fire, and flew to Thailand on December 7 at 5 a.m., calling the move an attempt to evade arrest. (IANS)

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