New Delhi [India], December 16 : Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh Luthra, who were deported from Thailand where they fled after 25 people were killed in a fire in their nightclub on December 6, are likely to reach Goa on Wednesday morning after the local police secured their two-day transit remand from a Delhi court, officials said.
The Luthra brothers, owners of the nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora, North Goa, were brought to the IGI Airport Police Station in New Delhi following their arrest and deportation from Thailand.
The Patiala House Court on Tuesday allowed the Goa Police's application seeking transit remand of the Luthra brothers, granting permission to take them to Goa and produce them before the concerned court there.
Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Twinkle Chawla granted the Goa Police a 48-hour transit remand for the purpose.
During the proceedings, the Goa Police sought a three-day transit remand, stating that adequate time was required to safely transport the accused to Goa and complete the necessary formalities. However, the court granted a 48-hour transit period.
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Advocate Surjendu Shankar Das stated that the transit remand had been granted and that both accused would be taken to Goa at the earliest, likely on a flight scheduled for Wednesday morning.
While allowing the application, the court also directed the Goa Police to ensure that the accused are provided with their prescribed medicines during the period of transit remand.
According to the prosecution, the brothers had allegedly fled the country on the morning of December 7, shortly after a massive fire broke out at their nightclub, 'Birch by Romeo Lane', located in North Goa's Arpora area. The fire, which occurred on December 6, claimed the lives of 25 people and left several others injured.
The case against Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra arises from allegations of negligence in adhering to mandatory safety norms and failure to maintain essential fire-fighting infrastructure at the nightclub. Based on initial investigations, the Goa Police registered criminal charges against the club owners.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing a victim's family, said, "They (Luthra brothers) were brought to Delhi from Bangkok this afternoon. After they were brought to Delhi, Goa Police arrested them formally. They were presented from Patiala House Court; a transit remand application was moved here by the Goa Police. Two-day transit remand has been granted. Goa Police are flying them to Goa."
Earlier, a Delhi court had rejected the Luthra brothers' plea seeking transit anticipatory bail. They had requested temporary protection from arrest to facilitate their return to India and to pursue legal remedies, including approaching the courts in Goa. The Rohini Court, however, declined the relief, citing the gravity of the allegations and the need for a thorough and effective investigation.
The siblings, owners of the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, were detained by Thai Police from a resort in Phuket after India moved to suspend their passports and requested the Thai authorities to deport them. An Indian law enforcement team coordinated formalities for the brother's return.
An extradition treaty between India and Thailand has been in force since 2015. Thai officials stressed that due process was followed as part of the cooperation between the two countries, leading to the prompt, lawful handover of the brothers.
The Goa Police had filed a criminal case dated December 7 at the Police Station Arpora Anjuna, North Goa, under sections 105, 125, 125(a), 125(b), and 287, read with 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
The FIR states that on December 6, Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, the accused persons, had organised a fire show at the restaurant Birch by Romeo Lane, Arpora, without taking proper precautions and without providing fire safety equipment and other safety measures. The fire show resulted in a blaze, due to which 25 innocent people, including tourists and staff, succumbed to death, and many others were seriously injured.
The Luthra brothers, despite knowing that the restaurant lacks emergency exit doors on the ground or deck floors for evacuation in an emergency, organised the fire show.