PANAJI
In back-to-back setbacks for the Birch by Romeo Lane owners, a Delhi court on Thursday refused to grant transit anticipatory bail to brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who are now detained at an immigration facility in Thailand after their early-morning pickup by local authorities.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana of the Rohini Courts rejected their plea, which the brothers had filed on December 10 while arguing they had not fled India but travelled to Thailand for business.
During arguments that began on Wednesday, senior advocates Siddharth Luthra and Tanveer Ahmed Mir, appearing for the brothers, alleged that the Goa government was acting out of “vengeance”, stating that one of the family’s restaurants in the State had been demolished and another sealed.
“People are baying for my blood. I am before the court; I am not absconding,” Mir said, asserting the brothers had left for Thailand on a business trip and were willing to cooperate but feared violence. “I am providing bread and butter to my family and others. Do I deserve to be lynched?” he asked, adding, “Arrest cannot be made in a rage. It cannot be made in vengeance. Police have not shown why they need custody when 90 per cent of the investigation is complete.”
He argued the incident was from negligence rather than homicide and reiterated that “a man before the court is not an absconder.” He told the court there were threats to the family and that two restaurants had been bulldozed without notice.
The brothers, he said, were presumed innocent under the law, had received no notice to join the investigation and were ready to cooperate. “A warrant was issued straight away,” he said, adding that the Luthra group manages 40 restaurants across India and its principals cannot be everywhere. He also said the brothers had travelled to Phuket for a scheduled event.
Counsel for the Goa Police, senior advocate Abhinav Mukerji, disputed these claims, arguing the pair left India almost immediately after learning of the fire. The Goa Police informed the brothers of the incident at 11.55 pm on December 6, after which they booked tickets from Delhi at 1.17 am and flew out at 5.25 am on December 7. “The fire starts, people are dying, and you wake up and leave the country,” he said, adding PNR details confirmed the timeline.
Mukerji said the brothers had no business interests in Thailand and that their family members did not cooperate when officers visited their home. “The mother and sister said they did not know where they were. The mother said she did not even know her son’s phone number. That’s the conduct,” he submitted. He further alleged the medical grounds the brothers cited were “bogus” and pointed out the nightclub was being run without a licence. “They led innocents into a trap,” he said.
After hearing both sides, the court reserved its order for 5 pm and later in the evening denied the plea.
