NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Maharashtra government to grant licences to 8 dance bars within 2 days. The apex court also asked them to give an undertaking that they would not engage employees with criminal antecedents near the dance area.
“It is directed that an under-taking shall be given by appellants who have filed application that they shall not engage employees in the bar and dance area whose names have been mentioned in the affidavit given by the state.
“The undertaking shall be is-sued by tomorrow and the licences shall be issued by day after tomorrow,” a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh said.
The Maharashtra government had filed an affidavit in the court informing the bench that they had not granted licences to 8 dance bars as they found some of their employees with criminal antecedents.
Senior advocate Jayant Bhushan, appearing for Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said not a single licence has been issued till date.
He submitted that as FIR has been lodged against some employees of the bars, licences were not being issued to them on the ground that they have criminal antecedents. “Unless a person is convicted under the offence, he cannot be termed as a criminal. The licences are women. “You want to take being delayed on one pretext away means of their livelihood. on the other,” he said.
On the issue of increasing the height of railing adjacent of any kind would be allowed,” to the dance stage, Bhushan the bench said. told the bench that such deft- The court has fixed the matciencies have been addressed.
During the hearing, one of May 13. the counsel said criminal antecedents of dancers should rapped Maharashtra should also be looked into and conditions imposed on them.
The SC took strong note of non-compliance of some of the this and said “are you trying to conditions and said it is better convey to us that they are criminals? Nobody can earn livelihood if they are convicted.
We want to save the dignity of women. “You want to away means of their livelihood. Dignity of women has to be maintained and no obscenity of any kind would be allowed,” the bench said.
The court has fixed the matter for further hearing on May 13.
Earlier, the apex court had rapped Maharashtra government for not granting licences to dance bars on account of non-compliance of some of the conditions and said it is better women to perform than begging on the streets or doing something “unacceptable” for want to save the dignity of earning livelihood.