Goa nightclub fire: Court denies bail to Luthra brothers in forgery case
Panaji (PTI): A court in Goa has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the fire-ravaged Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, in a case involving the alleged forgery of documents to obtain an excise licence.
The additional sessions court in Mapusa on Friday rejected the petition filed by the brothers, their advocate Parag Rao said.
The Luthras owned Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora village of North Goa, where a fire broke out on December 6, 2025, killing 25 people and injuring 50 others.
The brothers, who had fled to Thailand after the fire and were deported from that nation on December 17, are currently in Colvale central jail in North Goa.
While the Anjuna police were investigating the duo in connection with the fire, the Mapusa police registered a case of forgery, accusing them of providing forged documents to obtain a licence from the excise department for the nightclub.
Talking to reporters, advocate Rao said the judge announced that both their anticipatory bail applications were rejected.
"We are yet to get the detailed judgment. We will have to study the order. We were not expecting it to be rejected," he said.
He further pointed out that Ajay Gupta, another owner of the ill-fated nightclub, had been granted bail by the court in connection with the fire and the same forgery case.
Rao said the brothers had contended that the alleged false documents were with the police, so the authorities don't require their custody in the case.
He said that his clients had not applied for the documents, which were allegedly forged.
The health officer of Candolim Health Centre (North Goa) had registered a case against the Luthras, claiming that they had forged his signature to create a fake No Objection Certificate (NOC) and submitted it to the excise department to get a licence for the nightclub.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
