New Delhi: On the Objections which were raised against the various conditions of the Dance Bars, in which video graphing of the entire dance performance and segregation the dance area for granting licenses to the Dance Bars, the honourable Supreme Court of India has, yesterday, i.e. 24th day of this February, sought response from the Maharashtra Police.
It is considered by the honourable Apex court’s bench comprising of Justice Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh. And the bench asked the Maharashtra Government as to clarification of its stand on some contentious conditions, which were put by its police for granting licenses for the dance bar across the entire State.
The Dance bar association in the case, was represented by the senior advocate- Jayant Bhushan who referred to the various conditions which were put by the Maharashtra Police and termed them by him, as are “regressive ones” and needed to be done away with.
As per the conditions imposed by the Maharashtra Police, the dance bar owners will have to cover and segregate bar area with that of dance performance area and they will also have to provide CCTV footage of the dance performance to the Police. The bench of the Apex Court asked the Maharashtra Police that “why the stage should be covered from all sides? And why there should be a non- transparent partition between dance area and restaurant area?. Moreover, it has termed dance as an art.
Also, the court asked the Maharashtra Police, that why they are imposing such conditions?, as long as nothing obscene is happening. The questions were put before the Pinky Anand- Additional Solicitor General- ASG appearing for Maharashtra State. Also, by fixing the next date 1st day of March, this year, for hearing, the court asked ASG to clarify the stand. By the Order dated 15th, October, 2015, the Maharashtra Government was asked to consider the granting of licenses of dance bars to hoteliers and when this was not complied with by the Govt. then in November, last year, the Court had pulled up the Government for non- compliance.
Adv. Faim Khalilkhan Pathan