Goa Court Grants Bail to Nightclub Owner After Tragic Fire

Ajay Gupta, owner of 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Goa, received bail from Mapusa district court after being arrested in connection with a fire that killed 25. The court found no evidence against him, but imposed travel restrictions and required the surrender of his passport.

Ajay Gupta, owner of the nightclub 'Birch by Romeo Lane' located in Goa, was granted bail by a Mapusa district court months after his arrest concerning a deadly fire incident. The fire, which erupted last December, tragically took the lives of 25 individuals at the nightclub.

Defending Gupta, Advocate Rohan Desai emphasized that the police's extensive chargesheet lacked substantive evidence against his client. Moreover, insinuations of document forgery were deemed baseless. Despite this, the court set a bail surety of Rs 50,000, and implemented several stipulations, including the surrender of Gupta's passport and a travel prohibition without judicial consent.

The catastrophic blaze at the Arpora village venue, which happened on December 6, led to the arrest of 13 people, including Gupta and other nightclub owners. The chargesheet filed by police comprises 4,150 pages, featuring testimonies from over 300 witnesses.

(With inputs from agencies.)