State restricts bar artistes to 8

The hotel owners said that the state had passed the direction by amending existing licence rules after the petition was filed in the High Court.

According to petitioners’ lawyer R D Soni,the court directed them to withdraw their petitions and file fresh ones if they wanted to challenge the new rules.

An earlier bench headed by Justice Bilal Nazki had said that hotels could have any number of singers they want. The state,however,was adamant and restricted the number of artistes to eight. Soni said they had therefore moved a contempt petition as the state decision had contradicting an earlier High Court direction.

The present bench of Justice JN Patel and Justice Amjad Sayed suggested a survey of all restaurants and bars that hire female artistes to perform at night.

Justice Patel also observed that there is connivance between bar owners and the police and suggested that the ACB should investigate the matter and licenses of bars flouting norms cancelled.

The bar owners’ allegation that police have been harassing them,by evicting female orchestra artistes and waitresses out of restaurants at 9.30 pm though they had licence to operate till 1:30 am did not hold water as the court observed that the petition had not named any officers.

Public prosecutor PA Pol,however,denied the allegations and submitted an affidavit filed by the police.

According to the bar owners,they possess all licences under the Bombay Police Act,which include permission to run a place of public entertainment,serve foreign liquor and an annual renewable licence for an orchestra. They also had approval of the BMC under the Bombay Shops and Establishment Act.

“We will be moving a fresh petition soon,” said Soni.