Goa court grants bail to 2 managers of fire-ravaged nightclub

A Goa court has granted bail to two managers of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub who were arrested in connection with the fire that killed 25 people at the entertainment hotspot earlier this month.

District Judge DV Patkar on Tuesday granted bail with certain conditions to Rajveer Singhania and Priyanshu Thakur, both managers of the club, while it rejected a similar application by a third manager, Vivek Singh.

All three were arrested on December 7, a day after the devastating fire ripped through the nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa.

Advocate Vinayak Parab, representing Singhania (Bar Manager) and Thakur (Gate Manager), said that while granting bail, the court ruled that the applicants shall not, directly or indirectly, make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case.

The court made it clear that the duo shall not leave India without its prior written permission.

According to Parab, the court directed that the accused shall make themselves available for interrogation by the Investigating Officer (IO) as and when required and cooperate in the ongoing probe.

“The applicants shall report before the IO or the PI Anjuna police station, once a month, preferably, on first Wednesday, until the filing of a chargesheet/final report,” the bail order said.

Altogether, 25 people -- 20 staff members and five tourists -- were killed in the blaze at the nightclub around midnight on December 6.

So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the tragedy, including two co-owners of the club -- Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh -- who were deported from Thailand.