Delhi court allows Goa Police to take Luthra brothers on transit remand for 48 hours

The brothers, who are co-owners of Birch by Romeo Lane—the nightclub where a devastating fire killed 25 people on December 6—had been deported from Thailand earlier in the day and brought back to India

The legal case surrounding the tragic Goa nightclub fire took a major turn on Tuesday as a Delhi court granted Goa Police a 48-hour transit remand of the accused brothers, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, allowing them to be taken into custody for further investigation.

The brothers, who are co-owners of Birch by Romeo Lane—the nightclub where a devastating fire killed 25 people on December 6—had been deported from Thailand earlier in the day and brought back to India.

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What does the 48-hour transit remand entail?

In court, the defence had sought protection for the brothers to prevent immediate arrest following their return. But the judge decided to hand the pair over to Goa Police so they can be interrogated and kept for questioning. The 48-hour transit remand essentially allows the police to move them from Delhi to Goa as part of the ongoing probe.

The case has drawn intense national attention since the blaze ripped through the nightclub in Arpora, killing 25 people and injuring dozens more. Authorities say the brothers fled the country soon after the fire and were eventually located in Thailand, where they were detained by local authorities before being sent back to India.

In the courtroom, lawyers on both sides sparred over whether the brothers should have been granted preliminary relief before their return. But ultimately, the court sided with Goa Police, who argued that the investigation would benefit from taking the accused into custody quickly to gather evidence and determine responsibility in the tragedy.

This development comes after a Delhi court earlier refused to grant transit anticipatory bail to the Luthra brothers as the probe into possible negligence and safety violations continues.

With the transit remand now approved, the brothers are expected to be flown to Goa soon, where they will be questioned further as part of a wide-ranging investigation into what caused one of the deadliest nightclub fires in recent Indian history.