Goa fire: Court grants bail to 2 nightclub managers

Goa fire: Court grants bail to 2 nightclub managers

A local court in Goa has granted bail to two managers of Birch by Romeo Lane, the nightclub where a deadly fire killed 25 people earlier this month.

The bar manager, Rajveer Singhania and gate manager Priyanshu Thakur were granted bail on the condition that they won't influence witnesses or evidence.

However, their general manager Vivek Singh's bail plea was rejected.

Court extends police custody of nightclub owners

Meanwhile, a Goa court extended the police custody of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, by five more days on Monday.

The Luthra brothers had initially fled to Thailand after the incident but were deported and arrested in Delhi on December 16.

They have maintained that they were not involved in day-to-day operations at the club and that the responsibility lay with the managers.

Legal proceedings continue for nightclub managers

The court has also reserved its verdict on the bail plea of Bharat Singh Kohli, who managed restaurants for the Luthras. The decision is expected on December 26.

Separately, anticipatory bail pleas of village sarpanch Roshan Redkar and panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar have been reserved for order on December 30.

Goa Police rearrests 'sleeping' business partner

The Goa Police has "rearrested" Ajay Gupta, a "sleeping" business partner of the Luthras, on charges of cheating and forgery, after an investigation revealed that the company used a forged health no-objection certificate to apply for various licences to run the premises.

The FIR names them under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125(a) and (b) (endangering life and personal safety), and 287 (negligent conduct with fire or combustible matter) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.