Birch nightclub fire: three prime accused surrender before Mapusa court
The three main accused in the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire, which killed 25 people in Arpora last December, surrendered before a Mapusa court on Monday.
The three main accused in the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire surrendered before a Goa court on Monday, two weeks after the Supreme Court declined to interfere with an order cancelling their bail.
Nightclub owners Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, along with their business partner Ajay Gupta, presented themselves before the Additional District and Sessions Court in Mapusa. The apex court had directed them to surrender.
The fire at the nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, on December 6, 2025, killed 25 people and left several others injured.
Advocate Saumya Drago, appearing for the accused, said the court accepted the surrender and issued the necessary remand orders.
The Supreme Court on August 31 dismissed the accused's petitions challenging the Bombay High Court's decision to cancel their bail, and directed them to surrender within two weeks. It also asked the trial court to expedite the proceedings.
Drago said an application was filed seeking certain medical accommodations for her clients, citing their medical history, doctors' prescriptions and medical records. The court allowed their request for medicines and a mattress, while keeping the plea for special footwear pending and seeking a response from the investigating officer. The matter is expected to be taken up on the next working day.
The Bombay High Court had cancelled the bail granted to the three accused on August 18, citing the seriousness of the case and the need for further legal proceedings. The trio then moved the Supreme Court, which declined to interfere with the High Court's order.
According to the chargesheet, 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 the "irresponsible acts" of the accused caused the deaths of 25 people in the mass-casualty incident, resulting in "irreparable loss" to their families.