At least 25 people had died in a fire incident at a Goa nightclub owned by the Luthra brothers early this week. A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed anticipatory bail of Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Goa nightclub where at least 25 people died in a fire incident on December 6, 2025. Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant saying that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Goa Police are working to ensure that the accused Luthra brothers are brought to India at the earliest.
The duo has been detained in Thailand and the process to deport them to India to face trial has been initiated. The external affairs ministry (MEA) is also examining a request from the Goa government to revoke the passports of the two, who co-owned Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in North Goa and had left India shortly after the December 6 blaze in the nightclub located in Arpora.
Goa Police investigation revealed that the brothers booked flight tickets to Phuket at 1:17am on December 7, a little over an hour after learning about the fire at their nightclub, while the emergency teams were battling to bring the deadly flames under control.Saurabh and Gaurav have also been accused of misleading authorities probing the case.
During the hearing on their anticipatory bail pleas, Goa Police told a Delhi court that the Luthra brothers had shown no cooperation during the probe and had also misled the authorities about when they left India. “There is no cooperation on the part of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, which disentitled them for extraordinary protection by this court. They have no business in Thailand. They left the country on December 7. Though they said that they had left on the night of December 6. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra misled the court, misled the authorities and left the country,” Goa Police told the court.
The two brothers are accused of injury causing death, manslaughter and murder by organising a fire show “without taking proper care and caution and without providing fire safety equipment, other safety gadgets”. Earlier on Wednesday, a New Delhi court declined to grant interim protection from arrest to the brothers. Their lawyers argued that the Luthras had not fled the country but were on a business trip, and maintained that they were licensees – not owners – of the nightclub. They further contended that day-to-day operations were managed by the club’s staff, absolving the brothers of direct responsibility.
Meanwhile, Goa Police have arrested five managers and staff members in connection with the deadly fire.
What Luthras’ counsel told the court
During the hearing, the counsel for Luthra brothers told the court that the businessmen were not absconders and were ready to join the investigation in Goa nightclub fire case. Arguing for the Luthra brothers, senior advocate Tanvir Ahmed Mir said that the two businessmen were not served any notice to join the probe and a warrant was issued right away.
“As per the FIR, the incident occurred due to negligence, and it is not homicidal. There were people all around social media, and there was a threat to the applicant’s family. Two restaurants have been bulldozed without notice. I am before the court for the protection of life,” Mir told the Rohini court. The court later denied the bail plea
