For Mumbai bar girls, the wait for reopening of dance bars just got longer. Today, amid claims by the Maharashtra government that the dance bars were encouraging prostitution, the Supreme Court ordered continuation of the interim stay on processing their licences.‘‘The eight-week stay granted by the High Court on renewal of licences will continue till further orders,’’ a bench of Justices PP Naolekar and BN Agrawal said, admitting the state government’s petition challenging the Bombay HC order striking down amendments to the Bombay Police Act, by which the ban was imposed, as unconstitutional. The matter will now be heard in July after the court’s summer recess.On April 12, the HC had held as void, amendments made to the Bombay Police Act of 1951, which permitted dance performances in three-star and above hotels but banned the same in eating houses, permit rooms and beer bars. The HC found this classification ‘‘unreasonable and not in public interest and consequently void’’.Today, appearing for the state, senior advocates Fali Nariman and Harish Salve pressed for stay of the HC verdict saying the amendments were brought into effect after considerable planning and with ample material to back. Salve said the women were being exploited in the name of dancebars.This was contested by senior advocates Soli Sorabjee, Mukul Rohatgi, Rajiv Dhavan and Indira Jaisingh who appeared for the dance bar owners, hotel and restaurant association and certain women’s organisations. ‘‘Dancing by itself is not vulgarity like gambling. If it is vulgarity, police can prevent it. There can’t be a blanket ban,’’ Sorabjee said.
