PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday pressed the Luthra brothers to expedite their proposed compensation scheme for victims of the Birch by Romeo Lane fire after they sought an adjournment, citing a bail hearing before the trial court.
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar was hearing the suo motu proceedings into the December 6, 2025 fire that claimed 25 lives. The Bench noted that, so far, the only compensation paid to the victims had come from the government as ex-gratia and stressed that the process proposed by the nightclub owners should move ahead without delay.
“We were hopeful that it would be decided... Speed up the process. As of now, the only compensation paid is the government’s ex-gratia payment. We are trying to understand the figures, though we will not record them for now; however, the process should be expedited,” the Bench said.
At the previous hearing, Birch owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra had offered to create a common compensation scheme under which each victim would be appropriately compensated. The Bench had accepted the move and sought details of the proposed scheme.
On Tuesday, however, the legal representative appearing for the Luthras told the Bench that the brothers were produced before the Mapusa Court in connection with their bail application and that instructions would have to be obtained before proceeding further.
The High Court, while emphasising the need to expedite the process, adjourned the matter to Wednesday.
The Luthras and their business partner Ajay Gupta surrendered before the Mapusa court on September 14 after the Supreme Court rejected their pleas challenging the cancellation of their bail.
