Panaji

A court in Goa on Wednesday granted bail to Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the fire-ravaged nightclub Birch by Romeo Lane, in a forgery case, paving the way for their release from jail.

Advocate Parag Rao, representing the accused, said Judicial Magistrate First Class (Mapusa) Jude Sequeira granted regular bail to the brothers. With this order, they are expected to walk out of jail, subject to compliance with bail conditions.

As part of the conditions, the court has directed the Luthra brothers to report to the Mapusa police station for the next five days. The detailed order is awaited.

The case relates to allegations that the brothers used forged documents, including a fake no-objection certificate (NOC), to obtain permissions and an excise licence for operating their nightclub in Arpora village in North Goa. Police said the forged NOC was subsequently used to secure regulatory clearances.

Earlier, on April 1, a sessions court in Mapusa had granted them bail in connection with the devastating fire at the nightclub in December 2025, which claimed 25 lives.

Following the blaze on December 6, the accused had fled to Thailand. They were later deported to India on December 17 and arrested by the Anjuna police.

The forgery case was registered separately after a complaint by an official from the Candolim Primary Health Centre, who alleged that his signature had been forged and a fabricated entry made in official records to obtain a health NOC.

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The incident had triggered a wide-ranging probe into fire safety lapses, licensing irregularities and alleged negligence in the operation of the establishment.