July 12, 2026 12:47 pm (IST)
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Better to dance than beg: Supreme Court on Mumbai dance bars
Mumbai, Apr 25 (IBNS) The Supreme Court on Monday said it is better to dance than beg in the streets as it heard the plea on the dance bars of Mumbai which had their licences suspended by the Maharashtra government in 2005.
The dance bars would have girls dancing to the tune of Bollywood numbers as people would shower money on them.
The apex court warned the Maharashtra government for not following its order earlier on giving them licences and said it is "better to dance than to go to streets for begging or earning livelihood through unacceptable means," said the bench headed by Justice Deepak Misra.
"We are treating it as a performance of art...mindset cannot be to prohibit," the bench observed.
"Dance is a profession. If it is obscene, then it loses its legal sanctity. However, the government regulatory measures can't be prohibitory," the SC said.
The apex court also asked the state government to remove clauses that the dance bars should be not in the one km radius of educational institutes.
The court had directed the Maharashtra government to grant licenses to bar owners within 10 days after they adhered to the modified guidelines.
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