MAPUSA
The Mapusa Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) on Monday remanded Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who operated the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, to 11 days of judicial custody in connection with the devastating fire that claimed 25 lives on December 6.
The court ordered that the Luthra brothers be lodged in judicial custody until January 9, 2026, marking a shift from police custody as the investigation progresses. The prosecution informed the court that custodial interrogation was no longer required at this stage. Advocate Parag Rao, appearing for the Luthra brothers, said the remand to judicial custody indicated that the police had completed questioning the accused.
“The police sought judicial custody, which has now been granted by the Judicial Magistrate First Class until January 9. This clearly suggests that custodial interrogation is over,” Rao said.
He added that no bail application has been filed by the defence so far in the main fire tragedy case. Rao also informed the court that his clients had been receiving medical treatment during police custody. “The court has permitted us to submit medical prescriptions to the police, which will be forwarded to the jail authorities to ensure continuity of treatment,” he said, while maintaining that the accused have been fully cooperating with the investigation.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the court extended the police custody of Ajay Gupta, a co-owner of the nightclub, by five more days in connection with a separate case involving alleged forged documents. Gupta assured the court that he would cooperate with the investigating agency and assist in recovering relevant documents. Separately, legal proceedings are also underway in the alleged forged health document case involving the Luthra brothers.
Arguments on their bail application in that matter are scheduled to be heard in the Mapusa court on Tuesday, December 30. Significantly, families of the victims of the Birch fire tragedy have arrived in Goa to oppose the bail plea.
Victims’ lawyer Vishnu Joshi confirmed their presence, stating, “The families want to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and that bail is not granted lightly in cases involving forged documents and loss of lives.”
All injured discharged from GMC
MAPUSA: All five persons injured in the horrific fire tragedy at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, have been discharged after treatment. Six persons who were injured in the incident were Atish Mehta (31), Rahul Rai (23), Amit Kumar (35), Clinton Prasad (28), Tanishka Chaurasia (20) and Sandeep Jana. Among them, Jana was treated and sent home on the same day as the incident.
Five others were undergoing treatment at GMC Hospital in Bambolim and all five were discharged at different stages after undergoing treatment. On Monday, Clinton Prasad was the last of the injured persons to be discharged from GMC and sent home.
