Maharashtra Plans to Tighten Dance Bar Laws to Prevent Reopening
Maharashtra Plans to Tighten Dance Bar Laws to Prevent Reopening
The Maharashtra government is set to amend the law governing dance bars to prevent their reopening. Officials say some establishments have been trying to exploit legal loopholes to restart operations.
According to the Hindustan Times, a proposal to amend the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurant and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working Therein) Act, 2016 will be placed before the cabinet in the next meeting. It will then be discussed in the legislature.
A senior government official confirmed that the state home department had recently learned about attempts to restart dance bars.
Maharashtra has a long history of legal battles over dance bars. The state government first banned them in 2005, when R.R. Patil was home minister. However, in 2006, the Bombay High Court struck down the ban. In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision.
To bypass the ruling, the government extended the ban to high-end hotels and clubs in 2014. But in 2015, the Supreme Court criticized the state for ignoring its orders. In response, Maharashtra passed the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, which made compliance difficult, forcing most dance bars to shut down. In 2019, the Supreme Court again criticized the state’s strict regulations.
Despite these legal setbacks, Maharashtra is now planning a fresh amendment to close loopholes and ensure dance bars remain shut.
