A Delhi court on Thursday (10th December) denied transit anticipatory bail to Gaurav Luthra and Saurav Luthra, the owners of the Goa club where a fire broke out on 6th December, killing 25 persons. The plea was heard by Additional Sessions Judge Vandana of the Rohini Court.
“The nature of offence, prima facie, is grave and serious in nature,” the court noted, dismissing the petition. “Without expressing any opinion on the merits or veracity of the allegations, this court finds no ground to entertain the present application(s) seeking transit anticipatory bail and to suspend the look out notice (LOC),” the judge said.
The Luthra brothers, who fled to Thailand hours after a fire broke out at their nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, in North Goa’s Arpora village, sought a four-week transit anticipatory bail. They cited an imminent threat to their safety in India as a ground in the petition. The Luthra brothers are currently in government custody in Thailand and are expected to be deported to India.
We could be lynched in India: Luthra brothers
Representing the Luthra brothers during the hearing of their transit anticipatory bail plea, the Senior Advocates Siddharth Luthra and Tanveer Ahmed Mir accused the government of being on the “path of vengeance and revenge” against them. Senior Advocate Mir expressed the fear that the brothers could be lynched. “People are baying for my blood. I am before the court; I am not absconding. I am providing bread and butter to my family and others. Do I deserve to be lynched?” said Mir, asserting that petitioners were willing to cooperate in the investigation and were scared for their safety.
They had no business in Thailand, misled the court: Goa Police
Opposing their petition, the Goa Police submitted that the accused had no business interest in Thailand, as claimed by them to justify their visit to the country immediately after the fire incident. The police further submitted that their family did not cooperate with the police officials when they went to their house. Senior Advocate Abhinav Mukerji, appearing for the police, apprised the court that the brothers booked a flight to Thailand hours after the “In the application, they say they left on December 6 (the day of the fire). Please see the PNR details. The booking is done at 1:17 AM on December 7. They booked the flight immediately after the fire broke out. The fire starts, people are dying, and you wake up and leave the country. The flight leaves at 5:25 AM on December 7,” said Mukerji. “The mother and sister said we don’t know where they are. The mother said she doesn’t even know her son’s phone number. That’s the conduct,” 1 he added, emphasising that the brothers misled the court and the authorities by making false statements before the Court.
The Police also informed the court that the accused cited false medical grounds and that they were running the club without a license.
The nightclub fire
Hours after a horrific fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in Arpora village of North Goa, on 6th December, the owners of the club, Gaurav Luthra and Saurav Luthra, flew off to Thailand after expressing “profound grief” over the incident. They boarded a flight to Phuket at 5:30 am on 7th December. A team of the Goa Police was sent to New Delhi to raid the homes of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra shortly after a formal complaint was filed.
A technical report by the Goa Fire Department revealed that the fire accident could have been avoided had basic precautions been taken. The lack of essential fire safety systems and several unauthorised activities around the site made the disaster worse and led to heavy loss of life. This is the reason that the damage could not be mitigated despite the quick response of the emergency teams. According to the report, the incident shows serious failure in fire prevention and maintenance of standards of safety and preparedness for emergencies.