Goa nightclub fire: Luthra brothers offer to compensate victims’ families ₹15 lakh each

The Luthra brothers, co-owners of Birch by Romeo Lane, a Goa nightclub where a fire claimed 25 lives in December last year, have told the Bombay high court at Goa that they are willing to compensate the family of each victim with ₹15 lakh.

The high court, which is hearing a suo motu writ petition instituted after the fire at the illegally operating club, has given the families until October 12 to reply to the offer before a final decision can be taken.

“The accused have offered to pay a compensation of ₹15 lakh each to the victims’ families and their dependents. The court will consider this offer of the accused on the next occasion and the court will determine what compensation is to be paid to the victims, which is over and above the compensation paid by the government to the families of these victims,” advocate general Devidas Pangam told reporters on Wednesday.

Of the 25 killed, 20 are employees of the company Being G S Hospitality Arpora LLP, which operated the nightclub and were working in the basement kitchen when the fire broke out, leaving them with no escape route, while five were guest tourists.

The brothers had fled to Phuket in Thailand within hours of the blaze ripping through the structure, but were deported after their passports were suspended and they were detained by Thai authorities.

The chargesheet alleges that on account of “irresponsible acts of the accused persons”, 25 innocent people lost their lives in a mass casualty event, causing “irreparable loss which shattered 25 families”, reflecting gross criminal negligence and utter disregard for human life, and complete failure of the accused to adhere to statutory and safety norms.

A second FIR, in which the brothers had sought anticipatory bail, alleging cheating and forgery, has also been filed against the Luthras and Ajay Gupta for allegedly fabricating documents as part of the application process.

The Arpora fire tragedy at Birch by Romeo Lane, an illegally operating nightclub, occurred on the intervening night of December 6 and 7, 2025, and claimed 25 lives. The brothers, who had flown to Thailand within hours of the tragedy, were repatriated to India after an Interpol notice was issued against them and their passports suspended. They were subsequently arrested on December 16 and have been in custody since then.