Court orders police to investigate Mallika's obscene dance

Vadodara, Jan 15 (UNI) The controversial new year eve dance programme of Bollywood item-girl Mallika Sherawat at a five-star hotel in Mumbai has run into rough weather with a court here today directing the city police to investigate into her alleged ''obscene'' dance performance.

Acting upon a petition filed by the Baroda Bar Association's (BBA) president advocate Narendra Tiwari, Vadodara's Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Justice D B Vaidya ordered the police to investigate the complaint under section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code and submit their report to the court within 30 days.

J P Road police station's senior inspector P J Trivedi told UNI, that as directed by the court, they would register the complaint and send a police team to Mumbai soon, to collect all evidence in connection with the event, which was reportedly organised at J W Mariott Hotel on the night of December 31, 2006.

''We will record Mallika's statement but the police can't arrest her under section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code,'' he clarified.

In his petition, Advocate Tiwari had alleged that Mallika's dance programme at the hotel was not only in bad taste, but also against Indian ethos and culture. He prayed for action against the Bollywood diva as well as the owner of the hotel for having committed an offence under section 8 of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act and sections 366 and 244 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Mallika had reportedly charged Rs 50 lakh for that show, the petitioner claimed.

UNI