A Delhi court has posted for Thursday the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea by the absconding owners of the Goa nightclub where a blaze killed 25 people on Saturday midnight.

Additional sessions judge Vandana asked the Goa police on Wednesday to file a reply on Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra’s plea seeking transit anticipatory bail.

The Luthra brothers — owners of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub — had flown out to Phuket on the night of the fire.

The Luthras’ counsel told the Delhi court that they had not fled but had gone to Thailand on a business trip. However, they fear that they could be arrested if they returned to the country.

The brothers have sought four weeks of transit anticipatory bail so that they are not arrested immediately after their return to Delhi. The duo have also wished to move the courts in Goa seeking further relief.

The Goa police have sought time to file a reply to the application by the Luthras.

An Interpol blue corner notice, meant to trace the identity and whereabouts of a person connected to a criminal investigation, was issued against the Luthras.

Sources said the ministry of external affairs has received a communication from the Goa government with regard to the Luthras. It is examining the request to revoke the passports under the Passports Act of India, as per extant rules.

Ajay Gupta, a partner in the North Goa nightclub who was detained by the Delhi police’s crime branch following a request from their Goa counterparts, was produced in the Saket court on Wednesday. Additional chief judicial magistrate Vinod Joshi granted the Goa police his 36-hour transit remand because of the ongoing flight disruption.

A senior official said Gupta would be placed under arrest after the completion of formalities to bring him to Goa.

The police have so far arrested the nightclub’s chief general manager Rajiv Modak, general manager Vivek Singh, bar manager Rajiv Singhania, gate manager Riyanshu Thakur and employee Bharat Kohli.