However, the SC did give power to licensing authorities to regulate indecent dance performances.
Dance bars will be back in business soon in Maharashtra following the Supreme Court’s stay on a law banning dance performances in bars, hotels and restaurants in the state.
However, the court did give power to licensing authorities to regulate indecent dance performances. It said that the state must ensure that the dignity of women artists is protected.
Maharashtra’s law – that banned dance performances — was very similar to a previous law that was declared unconstitutional by the apex court, said a bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant.
The Supreme Court had, in 2009, struck down a similar law saying that banning dance performances was unconstitutional. After that, the state government passed another law in 2014 with similar provisions.
