Goa nightclub fire: Delhi Court dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Luthra brothers

A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Luthra brothers in Goa nightclub fire that killed at least 25 people. The bail plea was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge Vandana of Rohini Court. The Luthra brothers had fled to Thailand after the fire broke out at the nightclub on the night of December 6. The Delhi court said the conduct of Luthra brothers is grave and serious and added that the documents filed by them shows that license agreement, trade license and lease deed have already expired.

On Wednesday, the accused sought four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they are not immediately arrested after their return to Delhi from Thailand.

Additional Sessions Judge Vandana earlier in the day reserved the order till 5 pm after hearing the arguments of the advocates who appeared for the Luthras.

One of the counsels for the applicants argued that they were willing to return immediately and face the investigation, and



urged the court not to “punish them at the threshold”.

He said the brothers had approached the Delhi court at the earliest opportunity and undertook to join the probe without delay. “If I land in India tonight and the investigating officer (IO) tells me to appear at midnight, I will be there,” he said.

The counsel said that transit bail was not a determination on merits but a limited protection to ensure safe access to the right court. He cited a Supreme Court order permitting an accused abroad, against whom Blue and Red Corner notices were contemplated, to return to India with temporary protection.

“I only seek protection for a few days to reach the court safely. When a citizen is willing to submit to the law, the Court must extend a helping hand, not a fist,” he said. Opposing the plea, the counsel for the state of Goa argued that the Luthra brothers had left Goa immediately after the fire and had been “evading the legal process”.