Goa nightclub fire: HC cancels bail granted to Luthra brothers, business partner

Bombay High Court in Goa revoked the bail granted to the owners of illegal nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, North Goa, which resulted in the tragic loss of 25 lives due to a fire. Saurav and Gaurav Luthra, along with their business partner Ajay Gupta, who were partners in M/s Being GS Hospitality Arpora LLP, were initially granted bail by the trial court in April of this year.

However, they have been given two weeks to surrender to the trial court, where they can reapply for bail. The court allowed applications against the trio for culpable homicide and two applications related to forgery in the process of obtaining nightclub permissions. The prosecution argued that the offense was of serious nature, pointing out the gross criminal negligence and disregard for human life displayed by the accused.

The chargesheet alleges that the accused committed crimes under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide, negligent conduct, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and using forged documents. The Arpora fire tragedy occurred on the night of December 6-7, 2025, claiming 25 lives when the nightclub was illegally operating.

The brothers, who fled to Thailand shortly after the tragedy, were repatriated to India following an Interpol notice and the suspension of their passports. They were arrested on December 16 and have been in custody since then.