Are courts ruling country? Shiv Sena on SC`s verdict on bar dancers

The Shiv Sena slammed the Supreme Court for its verdict upholding the right of bar dancers to pursue their profession.

Zee Media Bureau

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday slammed the Supreme Court for its verdict upholding the right of bar dancers to pursue their profession. On July 16, the apex court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice SS Nijjar upheld the right of bar dancers as it rejected the Maharashtra government`s plea against the Bombay High Court verdict striking down the police orders that bar dancing in hotels below three stars. In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna today, the Shiv Sena raised the question - are courts ruling the country? "Governments should be run by politicians, not by courts," said the editorial, adding: "If the courts have to interfere, the judges better come in as elected representatives." The editorial added it was a "trend in the courts to rubbish legislations or decisions passed by the governments and rap them for the same". "Is this a move to `sell` Mumbai as a nightlife hotspot?` the editorial said. The city`s famous symbol of night life, the dance bars were shut down in 2005. The Maharashtra government said a panel would study the verdict. Stunned by the apex court ruling in New Delhi against the forced closure of the bars, the government has decided to set up a committee of lawyers, legal experts and legislators to study the verdict before taking appropriate measures.