A court in Goa has ordered the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives earlier this month, to be held in judicial custody until the start of 2026. The decision marks a significant turn in the legal proceedings following the tragic incident in North Goa.
Court Orders Custody Till 2026
On Monday, the Mapusa court sent brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra to judicial custody until January 9, 2026. This came after the prosecution informed the court on Friday that they needed more time to recover certain documents, leading to an extension of the brothers' police custody. The Luthras were produced in court on Monday afternoon following their deportation from Thailand and subsequent arrest in Delhi.
Legal Proceedings and Medical Arrangements
Advocate Parag Rao, representing the Luthra brothers, addressed the media after the hearing. He stated that the police request for judicial custody indicated they had completed the phase of investigation requiring police remand. "The judicial custody has been granted by the court till January 9," Rao confirmed. He added that no bail application has been filed yet.
Regarding the health of the accused, Rao detailed the court's directives. "They were provided medicines in police custody. The court has allowed the request to give the prescribed medicines to the police, which in turn, shall be given to the jail authorities," he said. The court also ordered a medical examination before the brothers were transferred to judicial custody.
Manhunt for Co-Accused and Timeline of Events
In a parallel development, the police filed an application to declare Surinder Kumar Khosla, the UK national who owns the property where the "unauthorised" nightclub structure stood, a proclaimed offender. This step is necessary to approach Interpol for issuing a Blue Corner Notice against him. Police had initiated this process last week.
The sequence of events reveals a hurried exit by the Luthra brothers after the fire. The blaze engulfed the Arpora nightclub around midnight on December 6. Investigators state that the brothers booked flight tickets to Phuket, Thailand, at 1:17 am on December 7—roughly 90 minutes after the fire started. They boarded a flight from Delhi at 5:30 am the same day.
After a ten-day stay in Thailand, they were deported and landed at Delhi airport on December 16, where Goa Police immediately took them into custody. They were brought to Goa the following day, December 17.
The police have booked the Luthra brothers, their partners, the club manager, an event organiser, and other managing staff on charges of culpable homicide. The investigation into one of Goa's deadliest nightclub fires continues as authorities piece together the causes and accountability for the tragedy.
