Goa fire: Delhi court dismisses Luthra brothers' transit anticipatory bail pleas
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court on Thursday rejected the transit anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa where a massive fire last week killed 25 people.
On Wednesday, the accused sought four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they were not immediately arrested after their return to Delhi from Thailand.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana dismissed the bail plea.
A detailed order is awaited.
ALSO READ: Goa nightclub fire: Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra detained in Thailand
During the proceedings, counsel for the state of Goa opposed the pleas, saying, “They left, they concealed, and they are now seeking leniency.”
He said the Luthra brothers had left Goa immediately after the fire incident and had been “evading the legal process”.
The state counsel said the law does not aid those who refuse to submit to summons or warrants.
Referring to judicial observations, he said: “Once it is shown that a person is attempting to evade the process of law, the court should not come to his aid at all.”
He added that anticipatory bail is a discretionary relief and cannot be granted to those who have “created obstacles in the execution of warrants or concealed themselves”.
The counsel submitted that serious allegations were pending, including non-bailable warrants. “This is not a case for granting the privilege of anticipatory bail. The gravity of the offence and the conduct of the applicants disentitle them from any protection,” he argued.
Seeking the relief, one of the counsels for the applicants argued that they were willing to return immediately and face the investigation, and urged the court not to “punish them at the threshold”.
He said the brothers had approached the Delhi court at the earliest opportunity and undertook to join the probe without delay.
ALSO READ: Umar Khalid granted interim bail to attend sister’s wedding in Delhi riots conspiracy case
“If I land in India tonight and the investigating officer (IO) tells me to appear at midnight, I will be there,” he said.
The counsel said that transit bail was not a determination on merits but a limited protection to ensure safe access to the right court.
He cited a Supreme Court order permitting an accused abroad, against whom Blue and Red Corner notices were contemplated, to return to India with temporary protection.
“I only seek protection for a few days to reach the court safely. When a citizen is willing to submit to the law, the Court must extend a helping hand, not a fist,” he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Stalin accuses Centre of trying to use women's quota as 'weapon,' slams EPS over delimitation
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has strongly criticised the Centre over the women's reservation and accused it of trying to use it as a "weapon" to tackle the opposition before taking up the delimitation exercise based on population.
"The Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population," he told PTI in an interview.
"Hence, the women's reservation must be implemented immediately without showing delimitation as a reason," the DMK president added.
Expressing apprehensions on the proposed delimitation exercise, the CM said it was the DMK that raised the first voice asserting the rights of the state after realising that Tamil Nadu would be affected by the proposed exercise. He also attacked his rival and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over the delimitation issue.
Recalling efforts made by the DMK to raise the issue of population-based delimitation, he said an all-party meeting and a meeting of CMs under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee seeking fair delimitation were convened. It sought to freeze delimitation for 25 years and stick to it based on the 1971 Census population.
"We urged the union government that states which successfully implemented population control programmes must not be punished," he added.
The party came up with "Tamil Nadu poradum, Tamil Nadu vellum" (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win) and this is DMK's stand, he said.
"However, Palaniswami, who is seeking votes for the entry of the BJP through the backdoor, has till date been mute over delimitation, and this is a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu."
