The Supreme Court of India’s verdict on the issue of dance bars has given a serious blow to the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
It is the victory against the state government’s attempt to evaluate the issue through its narrow notion of morality, which is rooted in the concept of patriarchy.
What the top court has blocked is the attempt of the Maharashtra government to permanently damage the livelihood of a considerable number of women, worked in the dance bars in the state until it was banned by the state government.
It is the submission of a research material by the lawyer of the affected that has foiled the attempt of the state government to misguide the top court that several serious crimes including trafficking has occurred in the state in connection with the profession of bar dancing.
Not only that has been defeated, but also the claim that many minors have worked in this profession has also been defeated.
In contrary, the research material submitted by the lawyer has proved the reality just opposite to what the government has attempted to prove.
As per that material, it is the profession of bar dancing that has helped many in the flesh trade to escape from the dangerous profession.
The SC’s observation that the state government should not inject its notion of morality into the society is laudable. This observation is likely to trigger serious discussion across the country, and also is expected to be quoted in similar cases in the future. In that sense, the hard-earned victory of bar girls in the top court has many far-reaching implications, both in the judicial platform and social platform.
Vignesh. S. G
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