Dance bars can re-open in Mumbai, rules Supreme Court

Mangalore Today News Network/NDTV

New Delhi, July 16, 2013: Bar dancers can get back to work in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra after getting licenses from the government, the Supreme Court ruled today.

In 2005, the Mumbai Police had banned dance performances in Maharashtra in bars but cleared them for "elite establishments" and hotels that were of three-star standard or higher. 

That decision was declared unconstitutional by the Bombay High Court which said that it violated the right to earn a living for nearly 70,000 women in Mumbai alone.

The verdict was then challenged by the state government which said the performances were vulgar and left women performers vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

The government had  claimed that while there were only 345 licensed dance bars, about 2500 unlicensed bars were doing business in the state.

Women activists and lawyers representing dancers were among those who said the government’s stand is sexist and prohibits women from earning a living without providing them with any other employment opportunities.