The Goa government may have woken up to the illegal encroachment of the public beach at the properties owned by the Luthra brothers who owned the Arpora nightclub where a fire killed 25 people on Saturday but a year ago, the Bombay High Court had directed that the said encroachment be removed after complaints flowed in against one of such the encroachments.
According to documents and court orders in possession with TDG, the encroachment of the government land (public beach) at the beach shack owned by the Luthra brothers at Ozran, Vagator were flagged by activists way back in 2023 and the matter had reached the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court which had ordered the demolition of the encroachment in 476 square meters of the public land.
However, after the Goan authorities removed the structure, the shack management erected a wooden structure and encroached the land again, activists have alleged.
Speaking to TDG, Ravi Harmalkar, who along with Nilesh Phadte, works for the cause of preserving the environment and heritage of Goa said that the matter was flagged by Phadte as early as 2023 and officials from Directorate of Settlement And Land Records (DSLR) had conducted an inspection and survey of the area on December 8 2023 which found that the Luthra brothers had encroached on the public beach to the extent of almost 476 square meters and this area was used for commercial purposes of a bar and restaurant. After this, the Luthra brothers were slapped by a notice on October 27, 2023, he said.
“We had given several complaints to the director of tourism, the Goa State Biodiversity Board and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) against the encroachment of the public beach by the Luthra brothers at their beach shack at Ozran, Vagator but no action was taken against the same. I was threatened by the Luthra brothers to stay away from the matter which is why Phadte filed a petition against the encroachment at the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court,” he said.
In a complaint to the director tourism, GCZMA and the Goa State Biodiversity Board dated March 10, 2025, Phadte had said that “an illegal construction of wooden platform was built on the public beach belonging to the department of tourism abutting the survey number 213/5 and 213/4 of village Anjuna Vagator without obtaining prior permissions from concerned authorities that is department of tourism, GCZMA and the local bodies- in complete violation of CRZ notification 2011.”
The complaint in possession with the TDG further said that the wooden platform which was in title zone blocked the access of local fishermen and visiting tourist.
“In the High Court of Bombay at Goa in writ petition no 834 and 825 of 2023 in the matter of Nilesh Phadte versus State of Goa and others in which judgement pronounced on 14 December 2023 directing the concerned authorities must take immediate step to remove the encroachment from the public beach and must stop using the encroached portion of any commercial purposes,” the complaint says.
In December 2024, the Bombay High Court had ordered that the Goa authorities “must take immediate steps to remove the encroachment from the public beach and that the petitioner must stop using the encroached position for any commercial purposes pending the removal of encroachment.”
The High Court judgement had come after hearing petitions from Phadte and the Luthra brothers. The latter had filed a petition against a demolition order issued by the director of tourism in 2023.
In its order in possession with TDG, the High Court had noted that a detailed survey was carried out in the area which found that there were several encroachments on the public beach, which belongs to the Director of Tourism (Goa government).
“Accordingly, notices were issued to several encroachers, pursuant to which even demolition/action of removal of encroachment had been carried out,” the order noted.
The Luthra brothers were issued a notice on October 27, 2023 after it was found that the petitioner had encroached on the public beach to the extent of almost 476 square meters and further, this encroached area was used for commercial purposes of a bar and restaurant on the beach, the court order noted.
The officials from DSLR conducted the inspection and survey on December 8, 2023, the court order noted.
The order noted the advocate general as stating that “the survey clearly revealed encroachment to the extent of 476 square meters and submitted that the petitioner, consistent with his undertaking must remove the encroachment and demolish the construction on the encroached portion.” It noted the advocate general as further submitting that “the purpose of instituting the petition was to delay in removal of encroachment and in the meantime, to use this property for commercial purposes during the peak season.”
“On December 7,2023, the deputy director of tourism issued an order directing the officials to carry out survey/inspection on December 8, the court order noted.
“From the photographs, it is evident that the petitioner has, with impunity encroached upon the public beach. The construction is right on the public beach and very close to the seashore and the rocks on the beach. …Thus the survey reports establish encroachment by the petitioner to the extent of 476 square meters on the public beach, i.e, property belonging to the director of tourism (Goa government),” the order reads.
It further noted that while according to the permission granted by the GCZMA, no cement/concrete should be used for flooring and no structure of permanent nature shall be erected/constructed, it was apparent from the photographs that the terms and conditions of the GCZMA’s permission had been breached as a concrete platform had been put up as a foundation right on the beach, and the deck and a structure had been put up on the same even though the permission was only for a temporary, seasonal structure without using any cement or concrete.
Harmalkar alleged that after the concrete structure was demolished in December 2024 on the directions of the High Court, the Luthra brothers erected the wooden plank at the site in the same area a day after the Goa Biodiversity Board gave a compliance report to the High Court in the matter.
“Then in May 2025, the tourism department issued an order to demolish the wooden platform but the order was not acted upon. Now, when 25 people have been killed in the fire in another nightclub of the Luthra brothers, the authorities have woken up and demolished the property on Tuesday. Was the government waiting for the loss of 25 lives to act?,” he alleged.
Harmalkar alleged that the brothers were allowed to escape to Thailand in an early morning flight scheduled at 5:30 am.
“All the people arrested are at the managerial level. They are the small fish. The Brothers remain untouched because they have connections with politicians and senior police officers,” he alleged.
From award winning businessmen to wanted: the rise and fall of Luthra brothers
They may facing an FIR, look out circulars and a blue corner notice of the Interpol in the aftermath of the fire that killed 25 persons at one of their Goa properties but before Sunday, the Luthra brothers rubbed shoulders with Bollywood biggies, cricketers, international stars and were featured by several media houses.
The younger brother Saurabh Luthra has identified himself as the chairman of Birch by Romeo Lane chain of nightclubs and restaurants is one of the partners of the Being GS Hospitality – the company behind brands like Romeo Lane, Birch, Caha India and Mama’s Buoi cafes, bars and restaurants.
Saurabh Luthra was featured by the Forbes India magazine which mentioned the firm had expanded a homegrown restaurant concept to over 60+ cities across India and was proudly marking its footprint in Dubai.
The magazine identified Luthra as “a gold medalist and B Tech Software Engineer with over 10 years of corporate experience as a business development manager for US and UK clients at JK Technosoft.”
It further credited Saurabh for making Romeo Lane “more than a dining experience, celebrating contemporary gastronomy, design and nightlife with unapologetic flair.”
It mentions that Luthra had been recognised by the Economic Times as a Young Entrepreneur in the 40 under 40 list, and honoured with the Elite Award-40 under 40 “for his exceptional vision and growth.”
It further mentions that in 2024, he was awarded the Best Restaurateur in North India, solidifying his position as a leading force in the industry and that he was recognised by ET Indo Global Leaders in Dubai, and many more awards marking his expanding influence on the global stage.
On his Instagram page, Saurabh has shared that pictures of himself stating that his Birch by Romeo Lane won an award for the “best nightclub luxurious nightout” at the Times Food and Nightlife awards 2025.
He has shared his pictures of being featured in several articles in leading lifestyle newspapers.
The success of the Luthras is evident from their journey from few restaurants in Delhi-NCR to nightclubs, bars, cafes and restaurants in Noida, Dehradun, Delhi, Zirakpur, Kanpur, Gurgaon, Goa and also in Thailand and Dubai.
A map shared by Saurabh on his Instagram page shows that his company has 15 upcoming outlets in eight states -Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Goa, Odisha, West Bengal, UP and Delhi while three existing ones were in two states (Delhi and Goa).
An Economic Times article shared by him on his Instagram page noted that “he was felicitated in the category of Iconic Restaurateur at the Times Hospitality Icons 2022 event conducted by OMS (a Division of Times Internet Limited), based on research by Avance Insights Pvt Ltd and that he won many recognitions.”
His Instagram page has Saurabh’s pictures with international singer Bohemia, Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandes, veteran model Milind Soman, cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal, singer Shakar Mahadevan and influencer Orry.
While the Goa police had requested the MEA to revoke the passports of the Luthra brothers and the state police has arrested five managers and staff members of the restaurant chain along with a partner Ajay Gupta, Harmalkar and the relatives of the deceased who have lost their lives in the fire are asking how the Luthra brothers managed to escape to Thailand hours after the incident.
Information from Goa police sources has revealed that the brothers booked their Indigo flight as early as 1:17 am on December 7 at a time when the family members of all the deceased were not even aware of the incident and when several of the victims were stuck inside the nightclub and the Goa police and fire services were battling to douse the fire.
MEA sources said that they have already issued a notice to the Luthra brothers seeking their reply within seven days.
“A seven-day notice has been issued to them asking why their passports shouldn’t be revoked. Let them respond,” an official privy to the developments said.
When contacted, a lawyer representing the Luthras said that their clients want to return to India and alleged that the bulldozer action on their properties had bene initiated without a notice.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
