Expired license, no operational permits: How Goa nightclub owners flouted norms for 18 months

New Delhi: Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Goa, where a devastating fire incident claimed 25 lives, was operating with an expired license and no valid permissions for the past several months, the police found in their investigation.

The police probe into the deadly fire that broke out on the night of December 6 at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora in north Goa, revealed several shocking details. It was found in the probe that the nightclub's trade license had expired and that it had been operating illegally for the past 18 months without the necessary permits.

No mandatory permission, license

According to police, the license of the now-ravaged nightclub was not renewed since March 2024 and it also did not have the mandatory operational approvals since 2024, due to which the license was not renewed. Despite this, no action was taken against the nightclub by any relevant department until the fire incident. The investigation also revealed that the nightclub owners had bribed the officials responsible for issuing NOCs and licenses, which allowed them to run day-to-day operations without the necessary permits.

The investigation further revealed that the nightclub owners, Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, along with Ajay Gupta, had entered into a license agreement with one Surinder Kumar Khosla, the club's licensor and a British national, on November 28, 2023, for the premises (basement and upper ground floor). This license was valid for 11 months from November 1, 2023, and had a provision for continuous renewal. However, according to the police, the licensor, Khosla, did not renew the license because the accused had not obtained the necessary fire safety, structural permits, and other statutory approvals required for operating the nightclub.

Luthra brothers put lives of customers, staff at risk

An officer stated that the trade license for the financial year 2024-25 was also not renewed after March 3, 2024, even though the Luthra brothers were fully aware that the club was being operated without a valid license and safety clearances. Despite this, they continued to operate the club, putting the lives of a large number of customers and staff at risk.

Goa Police said that operating a "high-capacity nightclub without fire safety measures, structural permits, operating licenses, and a valid trade license demonstrates a deliberate disregard for legal responsibilities and gross negligence towards human life, which directly contributed to the severity of this tragedy".

Meanwhile, Luthra brothers were detained in Phuket, Thailand, on Wednesday and are currently being held at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center. The Indian Embassy is in the process of issuing them emergency travel certificates. The process of bringing them back to India will be finalised after all formalities are completed.

Goa nightclub built on grabbed land?

Khosla, a British national, allegedly purchased the land on which the nightclub stood from Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar in 2004. They also signed a sale agreement. However, Amondkar, who claims to be the original owner of the land, withdrew the deal as he allegedly did not receive the payment. Despite withdrawal of the agreement, set up a nightclub on the land, and it was later taken over by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane.

Amondkar alleged that that a portion of his property was converted from a salt pan to a settlement zone without his knowledge, to benefit the club ."For 21 years, I have been fighting in courts to get back my land in Arpora, which has been wrongfully occupied," he told PTI. He also alleged that government officials changed the zoning of his land quietly even without apprising him about it.