Bombay High Court cancels bail granted to owners of Goa nightclub where 25 people had died in fire

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) cancelled the bail granted to the owners and a business partner of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a devastating fire had claimed 25 lives last December.

A single bench of Justice Dr. Neela Gokhale passed the order while hearing applications challenging the bail granted to the accused earlier by a trial court.

On December 6, 2025, a fire killed 25 people and injured 50 at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, Goa.

Saurav and Gaurav Luthra, along with their business partner Ajay Gupta, were partners in M/s Being GS Hospitality Arpora LLP. It operated the nightclub.

The three accused had been granted bail by the trial court in April this year. The Goa bench of the High Court on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) granted them two weeks to surrender before the trial court, during which they can seek bail afresh.

“The court has allowed all five applications — one each concerning the three accused in the case of culpable homicide in connection with the fire — and two applications concerning the accused in the forgery case related to obtaining permissions for the nightclub,” advocate Somnath Karpe, appearing for the prosecution, said to journalists.

He said the accused has been granted two weeks to surrender and given liberty to seek bail before the trial court.

The prosecution had challenged the bail granted to the Luthra brothers and Gupta, arguing that the offences were serious in nature.

While the Luthra brothers were granted bail eight days later in connection with the second FIR relating to alleged forgery in obtaining permissions for the nightclub, the trio was granted bail in the fire case on April 1.

According to the chargesheet filed in the case, the accused have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, acts endangering human life, negligent conduct with respect to fire and combustible matter, forgery, use of forged documents as genuine and criminal conspiracy.

The chargesheet alleged that “irresponsible acts” of the accused resulted in the deaths of 25 people in the mass-casualty incident, causing “irreparable loss” to their families.

The prosecution has alleged gross criminal negligence and disregard for human life, besides failure to adhere to statutory and safety norms.