DC Edit | Make An Example Of Luthras

The Luthra brothers Gaurav and Saurabh have been brought to face the majesty of the law. This is one of the rare cases in which swift action on the part of the Indian law enforcement agencies, in coordination with Interpol and Thailand authorities, had led to the accused being deported by the terms of an extradition treaty from a foreign country and put up before the court in India.

Hardly had the night club they co-owned and operated in Arpora in North Goa started going up in flames just before midnight on December 5 — owing to a lackadaisical flirting with safety in a public place — than the brothers had scooted to Phuket and may have been planning to stay as long as possible away from the long arm of the Indian law. That they did not travel beyond Thailand to a third country from which extradition may not have been worked so efficiently may have sealed their flight from justice, restricting it to a 10-day sojourn of the guilty.

Charged with culpable homicide, which is all that the statute books can permit under the circumstances, they had an opportunity to stand up as men and be counted like the five managers and other staff of the nightclub besides other partners or investors who may have had no direct executive association with operating the club, and who were taken in by the authorities.

The Luthra Bros, seen to be overly arrogant, which is a characteristic their staff shared according to accounts of visitors to their salt pan-based club that violated more rules than it may be possible to imagine, deserved their comeuppance. It is the system of bribes and quid pro quos prevalent in the holiday paradise of Goa that got exposed by such a tragedy as that of fireworks being set off indoors amid combustible material which triggered the fire that killed 25 staff and customers.

Had there been a sense of remorse, the rich businessmen may have at least announced substantial compensation for the kin of the deceased. Not a peep came out of those who were fleeing the land at the first sign of trouble. Exemplary punishment for forsaking safety in the guise of offering entertainment for patrons of a resto-bar must be meted out to make an example of the brothers who reek of exploitation for profits.