An association of women performers and waitresses working in bars and hotels in the Maharashtra has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of a 2016 state law prohibiting dances by women in these establishments.
Under the banner ‘Bharatiya Bargirls Union‘, these females termed Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dances in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016, as violative of their right to earn a livelihood through legitimate means.
In its petition filed through advocate Nikhil Nayyar, the association said the law unreasonably interferes with free choice of expression through dramatic performances and the right of women to practise occupation of self-expression through such dramatic performances. The law stigmatized their work, it added. The 2016 Act allows law enforcing agencies to target women performers and harass them, it said.
It also questioned the law for prohibiting tipping by customers. “The act of tipping or giving gifts as a token of appreciation has been customary and an integral part of traditional dance culture.”
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