The Goa Police on Thursday filed a chargesheet against nightclub owners Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra in the second FIR linked to the December 2025 fire at Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa’s Arpora village that killed 25 people.
The 2,306-page indictment includes the names of 50 witnesses and five defendants, including the Luthra brothers; Their partner in M/sbeing GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP, which owns Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, Ajay Gupta; Dinesh Khera; and tax department clerk Gurish Jawas.
According to the charge sheet, the Luthra brothers and Gupta presented a fake no-objection certificate from the local health center while applying for an excise licence, which was later issued to them.
It is necessary to obtain a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Health in order for the club to obtain a permit to operate.
The Arpora fire tragedy occurred at Birch Bay Romeo Lane, an illegally operating nightclub, on the night between 6 and 7 December 2025, killing 25 people – five tourists and 20 employees. The brothers, who had flown to Thailand within hours of the tragedy, were returned to India after an Interpol notice was issued against them and their passports were suspended.
The FIR, filed on December 7, charges them under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 125 (a) and (b) (endangering life and personal safety), and 287 (negligent conduct with fire or inflammable materials) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A second FIR alleging cheating and forgery has also been filed against the Luthras and Ajay Gupta for allegedly fabricating documents as part of the application process.
Due to the defendants’ irresponsible actions, 25 people lost their lives, causing “irreparable loss that shattered 25 families, reflecting gross criminal negligence, complete disregard for human life and the defendants’ complete failure to adhere to legal and safety standards,” the indictment said.
