Maharashtra to form panel to study SC ruling on dance bars

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has announced the formation of a legal panel to study the Supreme Court ruling striking down its decision to ban dance bars.

"We have not yet received a copy of the Supreme Court ruling. A panel comprising lawyers, legal consultants and legislators will study it and submit a report to the state government," Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil said, reacting to the apex court ruling. Making a statement in the Legislative Council, the minister said the panel would suggest whether to approach a full bench, file a review petition or change existing laws in the state against dance bars. Meanwhile, political parties in Maharashtra reacted strongly to the Supreme Court verdict. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre said there should be a strong law to ban dance bars, while Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state chief Bhaskar Jadhav said that "people of the state" support the ban on dance bars. Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi said the government had failed to do its "homework" in court which led to today`s ruling. Terming the Supreme Court ruling as "unfortunate", state BJP president Devendra Fadnavis said, "Maharashtra government remained careless on the issue." Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said there was no need for dance bars and women are exploited in such bars. Earlier today, in a major decision that will impact hundreds of dance bars and thousands of women who worked in them, the Supreme Court struck down Maharashtra government`s decision to ban dance bars. The ban, enforced by the Maharashtra government in August 2005, was struck down by the Bombay High Court in 2006, but the state government had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. PTI