Goa nightclub fire: Delhi court to hear Luthra brothers’ anticipatory bail plea

A Delhi court will take up the anticipatory bail applications of Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, linked to a nightclub blaze in Goa that killed 25 people, on Thursday. The court has sought a reply from Goa Police before deciding on the plea.

The brothers, who operated the club on lease, have asked for four weeks of protection from arrest, saying they wish to return to India and face proceedings before the appropriate court in Goa.

“It is true that people died,” the application states. “We want to come back and participate in the legal process. How can the State oppose this when we are volunteering to appear?”

They have also argued that they held only a licence to operate the bar and could not carry out repairs or structural changes, claiming ownership rested with someone else.

A Blue Corner notice has been issued by Interpol as police continue efforts to locate the duo. Investigators believe the brothers left India within hours of the fire, boarding an IndiGo flight to Phuket early on Sunday morning in what authorities described as a “planned escape”.

A Look Out Circular was issued later the same day, after they had already departed.

The fire, which broke out around midnight at the club near the Arpora backwaters in Baga, one of Goa’s busiest tourist belts, killed 25 people, including four visitors and 14 staff. Police officials said a narrow entry and exit contributed to the high fatalities, leaving many trapped as the blaze spread.

With IANS inputs