Govt to appeal in SC against revoking of dance bar ban: Patil

Mumbai, Apr 13 (UNI) Maharashtra Government will appeal in Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court's order of lifting the ban imposed on dance bars across the State last year.

This was announced by State Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, who also holds the Home portfolio, in the Legislative Council today.

The High Court, while lifting the ban yesterday, had stayed its operation for eight weeks to enable the State Government appeal against it in the apex court.

Making a statement on this issue in the Upper House, Mr Patil, who was considered as the 'main brain' behind the Bill banning dance bars, told the members that the 257-page judgement discussed various laws, and a detailed study of all the observations would be done before taking the help of legal experts.

''We will make all possible efforts and will approach the Supreme Court in the given time,'' he said.

However, defending his decision, he said after the ban on dance bars the number accidents on Mumbai-Pune Highway had reduced, apart from night crimes. He also said the residents of the buildings where dance bars were situated were happy with the ban.

In the last five years 23,191 cases of crime were registered against 307 bars in Maharashtra with the nature of crimes being - running the bars beyond time limit, prostitution and obscenity, the DCM mentioned.

He said the five-star hotels Taj Mahal and Taj President, which had taken permission for dance performance, used it for 20 days each in a year, while Le Meridien and Airport Plaza used it for eight days each. However, hotel Bawa International used the dance permission for all 365 days, Mr Patil said.

Incidentally, the hotel came to light after a South African model was allegedly raped there recently.

Meanwhile, he told the members that yesterday the High Court in its order observed that while dancing in pubs, discotheques and three and five-star hotels was permissible, banning the performance by bar dancers was ''discriminatory and in violation of the law.'' He said the court also observed that women should not be given the job of a waitress, and if they are allowed to be waitresses, they should be permitted to perform dance also.

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