The Aryavarth Express Mapusa (Goa), April 8: A Mapusa Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court has granted bail to Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in a case related to the alleged forgery of a no-objection certificate (NOC).
According to their lawyer Parag Rao, the court approved bail on a personal bond of ₹50,000 each. The case pertains specifically to allegations of document forgery linked to regulatory approvals.
Earlier, on April 1, the Additional Sessions Court in Merces had also granted regular bail to the Luthra brothers in connection with the December 2025 nightclub fire incident. Following the latest relief, they are set to be released from Central Jail in Colvale.
The brothers are among the key accused in the fatal fire at the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Arpora on December 6, 2025, which claimed 25 lives and left several others injured. Authorities had initiated criminal proceedings citing alleged negligence and violations of mandatory safety norms.
In a related development, Ajay Gupta, another co-owner of the nightclub, was granted bail by a district court in Mapusa on March 24. Gupta had been arrested in New Delhi and remained in custody for over three months before securing bail.
The investigation revealed that the establishment was initially set up as a temporary structure and later converted into a nightclub without proper approvals, including sanctioned building plans or conversion permissions.
Following the incident, the Goa government also took administrative action, dismissing Arpora Village Panchayat Sarpanch Roshan Redkar and Panchayat Secretary Raghuvir Bagkar over findings of “persistent negligence” in the case.
The Goa Police had registered a case on December 7 under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as part of its ongoing probe into the tragedy.
