Despite Supreme Court ruling, opening of dance bars may still be a long wait

The opening of dance bars still be a long wait (file photo)

Even as the Supreme Court permitted three dance bars in Mumbai to operate without CCTVs inside, their opening remains uncertain with the state government insisting that they would need to comply with the norms laid down first. In May this year, three dance bars Aero Punjab and Sai Prasad in Andheri, and Indiana at Tardeo were the only ones to be granted a licence to operate under the stringent new rules introduced by Maharashtra earlier this year.

But the fight between these bar owners and the state government is expected to continue for a while. Senior government officials said these bars were first required to comply with 26 mandatory conditions even under the old law. These include installation of CCTV cameras at the entrance of the bars and beaming the live feeds to the nearest police station. Another condition requires the bar owners to secure a performance licence. “When we had carried out an inspection in April, we had found that the dance bars were not complying with some of the conditions,” said a senior home department official.

Further, while the Supreme Court criticised the state for a condition in the newly framed rules that prohibits serving of liquor in the performance area and also the need for a CCTV on the dance floor, the state government appears to be in a defiant mood. Home department officials, however, said the state government was going through the court’s observation for more clarity on certain points.