The Ordinance promulgating a ban on dance bars in Maharashtra is awaiting the final nod of Governor S M Krishna. The Ordinance, which will decide the fate of thousands of women dancers and other workers, was approved by the state cabinet on 18 May 2005.

 

According to unofficial figures, there are 350,000 people, including dancers, stewards, guards, chefs, waiters, agents and managers, associated with the dance bars in the state. Out of this, 75,000 are women dancers. But the Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil insists that the number of women working in the dance bars do not exceed 11,000. In Maharashtra, there are around 2,000 registered dance bars. If the order is signed by the Governor, all the migrant dancers will be rendered jobless leading their families to starvation.

 

Meanwhile, the state’s Law Department, which is entrusted with the task of framing guidelines to ban dance bars across Maharashtra, is finding it hard to justify the move under the existing legal provisions. Under the existing legal framework, there is no provision for banning dance bars and the Home Ministry feels that there should be comprehensive changes in some of the laws to ensure that the ban would stand legal scrutiny.

 

In the meantime, a Delhi-based NGO filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court on 8 June 2005, challenging the proposed ban. In the PIL, the petitioner has argued that the state government cannot order the closure of dance bars, as choosing a profession was the fundamental right of a person as guaranteed in the Constitution. The PIL will come up for hearing on 6 July 2005.

 

The bar girls and the bar owners have held protest meetings and demonstrations against the Ordinance. Without a proper rehabilitation scheme, the girls will be forced to migrate to new lands looking for new avenues if the Ordinance is approved by the Governor