The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on Dec. 15 converted a civil suit concerning the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub fire into a Public Interest Litigation, saying “someone has to be held accountable.” The blaze on Dec. 6 killed 25 people. The petition was filed by landowners Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar; the court made advocate Rohit Bras de Sa amicus curiae and asked the state government to explain the process for granting licences and permissions for such establishments. The bench, led by Justices Sarang Kotwal and Prithviraj Chavan, flagged failures by the local panchayat and said commercial operations continued despite a demolition order; the next hearing was fixed for Jan. 8. In the aftermath, Goa authorities launched a statewide crackdown ahead of the festive season, sealing venues including Goya Club and Cafe CO2 Goa and revoking fire NOCs for other clubs. Investigations have questioned landowners and the sarpanch, detained the club’s co-owners in Thailand pending deportation proceedings, and led to arrests of club managers and staff. New safety directives and restrictions on fireworks and late-night liquor sales have also been ordered.