Delhi Court Rejects Bail for Luthra Brothers Following Fatal Goa Nightclub Fire

New Delhi:

A Delhi court denied bail to the Luthra brothers on Thursday evening. The restaurateurs are facing culpable homicide charges following the deaths of 25 people at their Goa nightclub last week.

Currently, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra are in Thailand government custody awaiting deportation to India. They will be transferred from Phuket to Bangkok to complete necessary processing formalities.

The brothers fled India early Saturday, booking tickets on an IndiGo flight to Phuket at 1:17 am while firefighters were still battling flames at 'Birch by Romeo Lane', their flagship establishment situated in the middle of a lake in Goa's Arpora town.

On Wednesday, they filed a petition requesting immediate interim protection from arrest - which was promptly denied - and anticipatory transit bail, which has now also been refused.

During today's proceedings, the brothers' lawyer argued that they are "also human" and appeared to seek sympathy based on the employment they provide to thousands of people.

Senior advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, representing the brothers, emphasized that his clients were not present during the fire outbreak and therefore could not be held criminally liable. He stated that the brothers manage multiple businesses and do not personally oversee daily operations.

The defense contended that the deaths resulted from 'negligence' - attributing the fire to a stray flame from a pyrotechnics performance - and lacked 'intention' on the brothers' part.

While the defense highlighted that the club possessed all necessary permits, including food safety and liquor sale licenses, NDTV understands it failed to comply with fire safety regulations, which include ensuring emergency personnel access and availability of fire extinguishers.

Mir also stated that the brothers had not fled the country after 'a fraud of Rs 5,000 crore' - an apparent reference to economic offenders hiding abroad with massive debts.

The prosecution countered by highlighting the circumstances of the Luthra brothers' departure - tickets booked just hours before leaving and while their club was still burning.

Although the brothers had previously claimed they traveled to Thailand for business purposes but were apprehensive about returning due to fear of arrest upon arrival, the prosecution argued that their Thailand trip indicated an attempt to evade legal consequences.

The prosecution successfully argued against granting interim relief.

Thailand is expected to deport the brothers within the next 24 hours. Sources told NDTV that a Goa Police team will depart for Bangkok today to complete the necessary paperwork.

While India does have an extradition treaty with Thailand, Delhi has pushed for deportation instead, as this process would likely be faster than pursuing a formal extradition request through Thai courts.

To initiate deportation, the Indian government suspended Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra's passports on Wednesday, placing them in violation of Thailand's immigration laws.

Sources informed NDTV that this triggered the deportation process, which should be expedited by the issuance of a Blue Corner notice by Interpol.

So far, authorities have arrested five people in connection with the case, including Ajay Gupta, one of the four co-owners.