Goa nightclub fire: court grants bail to two of three arrested managers

A Goa court has granted bail to two managers of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub who were arrested in connection with the fire that killed 25 people at the entertainment hotspot on 6 December.

District Judge D.V. Patkar on Tuesday, 23 December, granted bail with certain conditions to Rajveer Singhania and Priyanshu Thakur, both managers of the club, while it rejected a similar application by a third manager, Vivek Singh.

All three were arrested on December 7, a day after a devastating fire ripped through the nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa.

Advocate Vinayak Parab, representing Singhania (Bar Manager) and Thakur (Gate Manager), said that while granting bail, the court ruled that the applicants shall not, directly or indirectly, make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case.

The court made it clear that the duo could not leave India without its prior written permission.

According to Parab, the court directed that the accused shall make themselves available for interrogation by the Investigating Officer (IO) as and when required and co-operate in the ongoing probe.

“The applicants shall report before the IO or the PI Anjuna Police Station, once a month, preferably, on first Wednesday, until the filing of a chargesheet/final report,” the bail order said.

Altogether, 25 persons—20 staff members and five tourists—were killed in the major blaze at the nightclub around midnight on 6 December.

So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the tragedy, including two co-owners of the club—Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh—who were deported from Thailand.