Panaji: The Bombay High Court on Monday directed Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, to deposit interim compensation of Rs 20 lakh each for the families of the 25 individuals who died in a fire at the North Goa establishment last year.
A division bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar issued the directive during a hearing on a petition concerning relief for the victims of the December 2025 blaze in Arpora. The court specified that this deposit would remain subject to the final arguments in the main legal proceedings.
Advocate Prachi Sawant, representing the victims' families, informed the bench that the families had pursued compensation of Rs 50 lakh each, which contrasted with the Rs 25 lakh previously offered by the establishment's owners. The judges subsequently recommended that the owners deposit Rs 20 lakh each as an interim measure without prejudice to their positions in the primary case, noting that the broader legal battle would continue.
During the proceedings, Sawant mentioned that families representing four tourists killed in the fire had also filed a separate case before a consumer court in Haryana, adding that she had not yet received responses from all affected families regarding the proposed compensation terms.
The bench instructed the appointed amicus curiae to compile a comprehensive list of all pending cases connected to the tragedy. Furthermore, the court directed the involved parties to confer regarding the interim compensation proposal and report back by October 21, the date set for the next hearing.
The deadly fire erupted on December 6, 2025, during a dance party at the nightclub located in Arpora village, resulting in 25 fatalities and 50 injuries. The Luthra brothers initially fled to Thailand following the disaster, but were deported on December 17 and are currently detained at Colvale Central Jail in North Goa while wider judicial proceedings remain underway.