Dance bars: Supreme Court, Maharashtra govt at loggerheads
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government is principally against opening of dance bars in the state.
The Supreme Court on Thursday lashed out at the Maharashtra government for not implementing its earlier order on dance bars and asked it to grant licenses to hoteliers within two weeks.
A bench of justices Dipak Misra and PC Pant expressed unhappiness that the state was yet to implement its earlier order.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took to Twitter and said his government is principally against opening of dance bars in the state. "We respectSC order.However,we're principally against opening of dance bars.Will explore all legal options including legislative intervention," he tweeted.
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Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Maharashtra, however, said that any direction of the court will be respected and adhered to.
We respectSC order.However,we're principally against opening of dance bars.Will explore all legal options including legislative intervention&; Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) November 26, 2015
The bench, meanwhile, allowed Vinod Patil, President of R R Patil Foundation, to intervene in the matter. Patil in his plea had claimed that reopening of dance bars would increase crime.
The Maharashtra government had amended the 2005 Bombay Police Act, which was challenged in high court by Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association.
The Bombay High Court on April 12, 2006 had quashed the government's decision and declared the provision unconstitutional, saying it was against Article 19(1)(g) (to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business) of the Constitution.
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However, the state government had moved the apex court against the high court's order that same year.
On July 16, 2013, the Supreme Court had upheld the Bombay High Court verdict quashing state government's order, saying the ban violated the constitutional right to earn a living.
The state assembly had on June 13 last year passed the Maharashtra Police (second amendment) Bill which prevented licenses for dance performances in three-star and five-star hotels. The ban also covered drama theatres, cinema halls, auditoriums, sports clubs and gymkhanas, where entry is restricted only to members.