Panaji: The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit related to the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub in Arpora into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), following the devastating fire on December 6 that claimed 25 lives.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Sarang Kotwal and Prithviraj Chavan observed that accountability must be fixed in cases involving such large-scale loss of life. While converting the petition into a PIL, the court remarked that authorities could not escape responsibility in incidents of this nature.
The High Court directed the Goa government to file a detailed response on the permissions and approvals granted to the nightclub, which has come under scrutiny after preliminary investigations revealed serious irregularities.
The original petition was filed by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating. The Bench noted that the local panchayat had failed to take suo motu action against the establishment despite receiving complaints, and allowed commercial activities to continue even after a demolition order had been issued.
Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, who appeared for the petitioners, was appointed as amicus curiae in the matter and was asked to submit a comprehensive affidavit outlining the sequence of violations and lapses.
The court also sought clarity from the state authorities on the regulatory framework and the process followed for granting licences and permissions to such commercial establishments. The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 8.
In their plea, the landowners highlighted a consistent pattern of statutory violations that allegedly went unchecked despite inspections, show-cause notices and official orders. They argued that these lapses amounted to serious breaches of law and posed grave risks to public safety and environmental balance in Goa.
Multiple agencies probing the nightclub fire have reportedly found that the establishment lacked mandatory permissions, further intensifying questions over regulatory oversight and enforcement.
