A court in Goa has sent the owners of a nightclub, where a devastating fire claimed 25 lives earlier this month, to five days of police custody. The court also rejected a peculiar request from the accused for a mattress during their remand.
Court Rejects Mattress Request After Medical Examination
During a remand hearing at the Judicial Magistrate First Class court in Mapusa on Wednesday, the legal counsel for brothers Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra made a special plea. They requested permission for a mattress for the accused while in police custody, citing unspecified "medical concerns."
The court, however, took note of an oral remark that a prior medical examination had declared both brothers fit. One of the accused, Saurabh Luthra, then elaborated in court, stating he has an "L4-L5 problem" in his spine, while his brother Gaurav has a "tailbone-related concern." He argued that only an X-ray was conducted during their medical check, not an MRI which would have identified these issues.
Following this, the court examined their medical reports and directed the police to conduct another medical examination of the accused, temporarily deferring the proceedings.
Deportation from Thailand and Arrest
Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the co-owners of the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in North Goa's Arpora, were formally remanded to police custody until December 22. This development came just a day after they were deported from Thailand and taken into custody.
The brothers had fled to Thailand within hours of the catastrophic fire at their establishment on December 6, 2025. After a ten-day interlude, a Goa police team brought them back to the state on Wednesday morning. They were apprehended by Delhi and Goa police as soon as their flight landed at Delhi airport on Tuesday, December 16.
Final Ruling on Custody and Health
When the hearing reconvened in the evening on Wednesday, the court delivered its final decision on the mattress request. After reviewing the fresh medical reports from the subsequent examination, the court denied the plea. It stated that the reports indicated no such medical assistance was required for the accused.
The court then officially remanded both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra to five days of police custody. They are scheduled to be produced in court again on December 22, 2025.
After their arrest in Delhi, the duo was first taken to a Primary Health Centre in Siolim for an initial medical check-up. They were later referred to the North Goa District Hospital for further evaluation before being presented in court.
