Three main accused in the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire surrendered before the Mapusa Additional District and Sessions Court on Monday, September 14, 2026, two weeks after the Supreme Court dismissed their petitions challenging the cancellation of bail.
The owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, and business partner Ajay Gupta turned themselves in following the apex court’s directive. Advocate Saumya Drago confirmed that the court accepted their surrender and issued the necessary remand orders.
The fatal blaze on December 6, 2025, in Arpora, North Goa, killed 25 people and injured several others. The Supreme Court had earlier, on August 31, dismissed the trio’s petitions against the Bombay High Court’s order that cancelled their bail, and instructed them to surrender within two weeks while also directing the trial court to expedite the case.
The chargesheet lists the accused under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, acts endangering human life, negligent conduct with respect to fire and combustible matter, forgery, use of forged documents as genuine, and criminal conspiracy. The allegations state that their responsible acts caused the deaths and inflicted irreparable loss on the victims’ families.
