Owners Luthra brothers get bail in Goa nightclub fire case, to remain in jail
Panaji (PTI): A sessions court at Mapusa in Goa on Wednesday granted bail to Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in a case related to the devastating fire of last December that killed 25 people.
The Luthras, however, would remain in jail as they were arrested in a case of forgery on Monday.
Hours after a fire broke out at the club situated in Arpora village on December 6, 2025, the brothers fled to Thailand, from where they were deported to India on December 17 and arrested by Anjuna Police.
It was alleged that the nightclub lacked requisite permissions and violated several safety-related rules.
Advocate Parag Rao, their lawyer, said additional sessions judge Dvijple Patkar granted conditional bail to both the brothers in the fire case.
The brothers were taken into custody by Mapusa Police on Monday in an alleged forgery case. Despite getting bail in the fire case, they would continue to remain in prison in the second case.
The duo are accused of forging documents to obtain an NOC from the Health Department which was used to get an Excise License for the club.
The sessions court last week rejected their pre-arrest bail applications in this case. The court on Monday remanded them in the custody of Mapusa Police for four days.
Police have filed a charge sheet for alleged culpable homicide against 13 people including the three owners -- Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra and Ajay Gupta -- in the Arpora nightclub fire case. Gupta was granted bail by a Mapusa court last month.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
