Goa nightclub fire: Court denies bail to Luthra brothers in forgery case

Mangalore Today News Network

Panaji, Mar 28, 2026: A Goa court has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the fire-hit Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in a case involving alleged forgery of documents to secure an excise licence.

The Additional Sessions Court in Mapusa on Friday dismissed the brothers’ petition, their advocate Parag Rao said.

The Luthras owned the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora village, North Goa, where a fire on December 6, 2025, killed 25 people and injured 50 others.

The brothers, who fled to Thailand after the incident and were deported on December 17, are currently lodged in Colvale Central Jail in North Goa.

While Anjuna police are probing their role in the fire, Mapusa police have registered a separate forgery case, alleging that the brothers submitted fake documents to obtain an excise licence for the nightclub.

Speaking to reporters, advocate Rao said the court rejected both anticipatory bail applications.

“We are yet to receive the detailed order. We need to study the judgment. We did not expect the plea to be rejected,” he said.

He also noted that another co-owner of the nightclub, Ajay Gupta, had been granted bail in connection with both the fire and the forgery case.

Rao argued that since the alleged forged documents are already with the police, there is no need for his clients to be taken into custody. He added that the brothers had not personally applied for the documents in question.

The case was registered based on a complaint by the health officer of the Candolim Health Centre, who alleged that his signature was forged to create a fake No Objection Certificate (NOC), which was then submitted to the excise department to obtain the nightclub licence.