Goa Police say that they ran away to another country right after hearing about the deaths from the fire.
A Delhi court on Thursday denied Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra, the owners of the Goa bar where 25 people died in a fire, transit pre-arrest bail.
More Sessions The two were denied bail by Judge Vandana of the Rohini Courts.
The two owners, who live in Delhi, are said to have fled to Thailand after the tragedy to avoid being arrested.
The fire happened on the night of December 6.
The fire started in the club's basement around midnight, according to the first probe. The fire was said to have spread from the basement to the first floor, which has a restaurant and a bar.
They filed for transit anticipatory bail before the Delhi court on December 10, saying that they did not flee India but had gone to Thailand for business.
Senior lawyers Siddharth Luthra and Tanveer Ahmed Mir represented the Luthra family. They said that the Goa government is on the "path of vengeance and revenge" against them and that one of their restaurants in the state has been destroyed by a bulldozer and another has been closed down.
"People are baying for my blood. I am before the court, I am not absconding," said Mir.
He added that they did not leave the country but had gone to Thailand for business.
He further said that the petitioners were not absconding and are ready to work with the investigators, but they fear violence against them.
“I am providing bread and butter to my family and others. Do I deserve to be lynched?” he said.
The top counsel added that Luthras suffer from medical conditions as well.
However, the Goa Police challenged the submission and stated that they fled India directly after they heard of the devastation caused by the fire.
Senior Advocate Abhinav Mukerji stood for the Goa Police and told the Court that the fire happened on December 6 and the Luthra brothers booked the flight at 1:17 AM on December 7 and flew to Thailand at 5:25 AM the same day.
“In the application, they say they left on December 6 (the day of the fire). Please see the PNR information. The booking is done at 1:17 AM on December 7. They booked the flight soon after the fire broke out. The fire starts, people are dying, and you wake up and leave the country. The flight starts at 5:25 AM on December 7,” Mukerjee said.
He claimed that the two brothers have no business interest in Thailand and that their family did not cooperate when the police officials went to their house.
“The mother and sister said we don’t know where they are. The mother said she doesn’t even know her son’s phone number. That’s the conduct,” Mukerji said.
They have misled the Court and the officials and made false statements before this court, Mukerji stressed.
He added that the medical grounds given by the two brothers were also bogus, and they were running the club without a license.
"They led innocents into a trap," he added.
Advocates Shiv Chopra, Saud Khan, Vaibhav Suri, Shivaz Berry and Tushan Rawal also represented the Luthra brothers.
Standing counsel Surjendu Sankar Das along with advocates Annie Mittal, Archita Nigam and Khushboo Hora also presented for the State of Goa
This website is all about sharing knowledge and updating everything about Law.
