Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where a massive fire last week killed 25 people, had been in Thailand because they were in the process of setting up a restaurant in Phuket, news agency Reuters reported quoting their lawyer. The two brothers were detained in Thailand on Thursday, chief minister Pramod Sawant said, describing them as co-owners of the venue.
“We will bring them to Goa as soon as possible. Teams of Goa Police and CBI will go there (to Thailand)… Henceforth, any violation and encroachment will not be tolerated…Two suspended women govt officers are cooperating with the investigation, while one officer is not and action will be taken in this regard…To ensure such an accident doesn’t occur again, our enforcement team, comprising senior officers, fire safety officers, and building construction officers, is visiting various clubs and restaurants. The clubs where serious violations are found will be closed,” Sawant told reporters in state capital Panaji today.
‘Luthras left, they concealed, and are now seeking leniency’
Earlier in the day, a Delhi court rejected the transit anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, saying allegations against them were prima facie “grave and serious”.
During the proceedings, counsel for the state of Goa opposed the pleas, saying, “They left, they concealed, and they are now seeking leniency.”
He said the Luthra brothers had left Goa immediately after the fire incident and had been “evading the legal process”.
The state counsel said the law does not aid those who refuse to submit to summons or warrants.
The lawyer of the Luthras meanwhile argued that Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra were on a business trip in Thailand. The lawyer, Tanvir Ahmed Mir, added that they were not the nightclub’s owners, but licensees.
“The nature of offence, prima facie, is grave and serious in nature where 25 people have lost their lives,” the court said.
Luthras facing a “vengeful government”, says Lawyer
Given the “conduct” of the applicants and the nature of the allegations levelled against them, the court was not inclined to grant them the relief, the judge said.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana also said the documents regarding the flight taken by the accused persons showed that the tickets to Phuket were booked on December 7 at 1.17 am and the flight departed at 5.20 am the same day.
This fact was “concealed”, and their counsel instead stated that they had left for Thailand before the massive fire, the judge said.
“The documents filed along with the application, prima facie, do not support the averments made therein as according to documents, licence agreement, trade licence and lease deed have already expired,” the court said.
It also trashed the medical grounds, including a seizure disorder and hypertension, cited for getting the interim relief by Gaurav Luthra.
News agency Reuters quoted Mir as saying that the brothers were facing a “vengeful government”.
He said they had been in Thailand because they were in the process of setting up a restaurant in Phuket.
Six people in the case so far, including five employees of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa. The brothers’ lawyer said in Thursday’s hearing that staffers oversaw the nightclub’s daily functioning and the Luthras could not be held culpable.
The state government has offered compensation to the families of the victims, among them at least four tourists and 14 club staff.
With inputs from agencies