Luthra brothers get bail in Goa nightclub fire case, to remain in jail for forgery

THe Goa dominion margaret court on wed granted bail bond to the Luthra brothers — Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra — co-owners of birch tree by Romeo Lane, the nightclub in North Goa’s Arpora village where a devastating fire killed 25 people — five tourists and 20 staffers — last December.This comes five days after the district and sessions court in Goa denied the duo anticipatory bail in a second case filed against them, alleging they submitted forged documents in applications for permission to run Birch by Romeo Lane, for which they remain in jail.The fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, on the intervening night of December 6 and 7, was allegedly caused by electrically triggered pyro sparklers ignited as part of an ongoing dance performance at the nightclub. The sparklers allegedly set the roof — made of bamboo and other natural materials — on fire.The brothers, who had flown to Thailand within hours of the tragedy, were repatriated to India after an Interpol notice was issued against them and their passports were suspended. They were subsequently arrested on December 16 and have been in custody since.Also Read: Goa nightclub fire: Court rejects Luthra brothers’ bail pleaThe duo have been granted bail on the execution of a bond worth ₹50,000 and a surety of a like amount, among other conditions, but will remain in jail in the second case in which they are accused of submitting forged documents to obtain various licences necessary to run the club.“It is a conditional bail, with the usual conditions. We do not have the copy of the judgment [yet]. Once the judgment copy is available, we will know on what grounds it [bail] has been granted,” advocate Parag Rao, who represented the Luthras, said.The Goa police have, to date, arrested five managers of the club; owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra; Ajay Gupta, the business partner of the Luthra brothers; and Roshan Redkar and Raghuvir Bagkar, the sarpanch and panchayat secretary, respectively, who allegedly allowed the club to operate without licences.The FIR, filed on December 7, charges them under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125(a) and (b) (endangering life and personal safety), and 287 (negligent conduct with fire or combustible matter) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Also Read: Court remands Luthra brothers in 5-day custody; denies plea for ‘good mattress’The chargesheet said that due to the irresponsible acts of the accused, 25 people lost their lives, causing “irreparable loss which shattered 25 families, reflecting gross criminal negligence, utter disregard for human life, and complete failure of the accused to adhere to statutory and safety norms.”The FIR said the restaurant was operating without obtaining the requisite licences and that the accused persons, “without taking proper care and caution, without providing fire safety equipment and other safety gadgets, organised fire show at their restaurant/club which resulted in a serious fire due to which 25 innocent people succumbed to death and also caused injuries to tourists and staff, in spite of having full knowledge that organizing such show may lead to serious fire accidents...”In the second FIR of alleged forgery and cheating, where the duo is accused of forging a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Health Office and using it to obtain excise and other licences and permissions to run the nightclub, the duo are currently in police custody.