SC pulls up Maharashtra for non-compliance of order on dance bars

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday took strong note of non-compliance of its order asking Mumbai Police to grant licenses to dance bars within ten days after they complied with the modified conditions, and sought the presence of the concerned police officer before it.

"What have you done so far? It (process of granting licenses) should have been completed by the date fixed by us," a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh said and sought the personal appearance of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) dealing with the licensing issue of dance bars to personally appear on April 25.

The bench also asked the authority to file a "compliance affidavit" before the next date of hearing.

The court, while modifying certain pre-conditions framed by police for granting licenses to dance bars on March 2, had said, "the modified conditions along with conditions on which there is no cavil shall be complied with within three days and the respondents (Maharashtra and its police) shall issue the licenses within ten days therefrom.

"We are sure the authorities shall act in accordance with the command of this Court and not venture to deviate."

At the outset, senior advocate Jayant Bhushan, appearing for Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association, alleged that Maharashtra has not complied with the direction to grant licenses to the dance bar owners within ten days after they complied with the modified pre-conditions and urged the court to summon a responsible officer to the court.

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for Maharashtra, sought some time for filing the affidavit to show compliance of the court's order. The bench adjourned the hearing to April 25.

Earlier, the court had rejected certain conditions like providing live CCTV footage to police on the performances in the dance bars and asked Maharashtra government to grant licenses to owners within 10 days after they complied with modified guidelines.

The bench had granted three days to dance bar owners to comply with the modified conditions.