For dance bar owners and their employees here, Diwali has come about a month early this year, with the Supreme Court on Thursday putting on hold a controversial law banning these bars in Maharashtra.
The court, however, added, "We have a rider that no performance of dance will be remotely expressive of any kind of obscenity... the licensing authority can regulate such dance performances so that individual dignity of the woman performer is not harmed."
Reacting to the interim order, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted though the interim order mandated regulation instead of a ban on these bars, the government remained in favour of a ban. He added the state government would examine the order and press its demands before the apex court. Bar owners cheered the Supreme Court's decision, with the owner and employees of a bar at Tardeo in south Mumbai, performing a puja and distributing sweets. A senior member of the Dance Bar Owners Association said he hoped "acche din" would be a reality for owners and employees soon. "When the ban was imposed in 2005, there were about 1,400 dance bars in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Raigad and Pune districts, with a turnover of over Rs 4,000 crore," he said.
About 75,000 women were working when the state government imposed the ban in 2005. The ban hit them badly. Some of those women turned to prostitution, while some have died to prolonged illness. A few have managed to survive due to other jobs," said Varsha Kale, president, Bharatiya Bar Girls Union. Manjit Singh Sethi, president of the Dance Bar Owners Association, said the apex court had paved the way for reopening of dance bars. "However, if the chief minister talks about continuing the ban, the association might have to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court," he said. Kale said the reopening of dance bars came as a boon to many women. "The government should not now stretch it further," she added. However, she added the government should ensure stringent rules were applicable to prohibit obscenity and vulgarity.
"Not only the performers, the ban also had an impact on beauty parlours, taxi drivers, tailors, etc," she added.
The court, however, added, "We have a rider that no performance of dance will be remotely expressive of any kind of obscenity... the licensing authority can regulate such dance performances so that individual dignity of the woman performer is not harmed."
Reacting to the interim order, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted though the interim order mandated regulation instead of a ban on these bars, the government remained in favour of a ban. He added the state government would examine the order and press its demands before the apex court. Bar owners cheered the Supreme Court's decision, with the owner and employees of a bar at Tardeo in south Mumbai, performing a puja and distributing sweets. A senior member of the Dance Bar Owners Association said he hoped "acche din" would be a reality for owners and employees soon. "When the ban was imposed in 2005, there were about 1,400 dance bars in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Raigad and Pune districts, with a turnover of over Rs 4,000 crore," he said.
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Some of these bars shut permanently, while some are operating with licences for live orchestra or bars employing waitresses, which the state allows. "As of now, there are 15,000 women working in bars. Some are waitresses, while others perform live orchestra.
DANCE BAR BAN SAGA |
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About 75,000 women were working when the state government imposed the ban in 2005. The ban hit them badly. Some of those women turned to prostitution, while some have died to prolonged illness. A few have managed to survive due to other jobs," said Varsha Kale, president, Bharatiya Bar Girls Union. Manjit Singh Sethi, president of the Dance Bar Owners Association, said the apex court had paved the way for reopening of dance bars. "However, if the chief minister talks about continuing the ban, the association might have to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court," he said. Kale said the reopening of dance bars came as a boon to many women. "The government should not now stretch it further," she added. However, she added the government should ensure stringent rules were applicable to prohibit obscenity and vulgarity.
"Not only the performers, the ban also had an impact on beauty parlours, taxi drivers, tailors, etc," she added.