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

A court in Goa has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the fire-ravaged Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in a case involving the alleged forgery of documents to obtain an excise licence.

The additional sessions court in Mapusa on Friday (March 27, 2026) rejected the petition filed by the brothers, their advocate Parag Rao said.

The Luthras owned Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora village of North Goa, where a fire broke out on December 6, 2025, killing 25 people and injuring 50 others.

The brothers, who had fled to Thailand after the fire and were deported from that nation on December 17, are currently in Colvale central jail in North Goa.

While the Anjuna police were investigating the duo in connection with the fire, the Mapusa police registered a case of forgery, accusing them of providing forged documents to obtain a licence from the excise department for the nightclub.

Talking to reporters, advocate Rao said the judge announced that both their anticipatory bail applications were rejected.

“We are yet to get the detailed judgment. We will have to study the order. We were not expecting it to be rejected,” he said.

He further pointed out that Ajay Gupta, another owner of the ill-fated nightclub, had been granted bail by the court in connection with the fire and the same forgery case.

Rao said the brothers had contended that the alleged false documents were with the police, so the authorities don’t require their custody in the case.

He said that his clients had not applied for the documents, which were allegedly forged.

The health officer of Candolim Health Centre (North Goa) had registered a case against the Luthras, claiming that they had forged his signature to create a fake No Objection Certificate (NOC) and submitted it to the excise department to get a licence for the nightclub.