Goa Nightclub Blaze: 2 Managers Get Bail, General Manager's Plea Rejected

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A Goa court has granted bail to two nightclub managers, Rajveer Singhania and Priyanshu Thakur, in connection with a devastating fire that killed 25 people on December 6. The blaze occurred at the Birch By Romeo Lane nightclub, owned by the Luthra brothers. The court rejected the bail plea of General Manager Vivek Singh, however, and reserved its verdict on the pleas of other accused individuals, including Bharat Singh Kohli, a restaurant manager, and village officials Roshan Redkar and Raghuvir Bagkar. The court granted bail to Singhania and Thakur on the condition that they will not make any inducements or threats to witnesses. The police arrested four nightclub managers, including the Luthra brothers, in connection with the fire. Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, who fled to Phuket, were later deported from Thailand and arrested upon their return to India. The accused have claimed that they were not responsible for the day-to-day operations of the nightclub, and that the responsibility lay with the hired managers. However, the police investigation has revealed that the company used a forged health certificate to obtain licenses, leading to the 'rearrest' of Ajay Gupta, the business partner of the Luthras, on charges of cheating and forgery. The FIR filed in connection with the fire charges the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, endangering life and personal safety, and negligent conduct with fire or combustible matter. The court is expected to deliver its verdict on the remaining bail pleas on December 26 and 30.