Maharashtra moves to close dance bar licence loophole

3 min readUpdated: Jul 7, 2026 02:41 PM IST

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday introduced a Bill to amend the Maharashtra Police Act, seeking to end a practice that it says has allowed dance bars to operate by obtaining orchestra licences instead of permissions under the state’s Dance Bar Act.

The Bill, tabled in the Assembly by Minister of State for Home (Rural) Pankaj Bhoyar, proposes taking licences for live music performances and orchestras in hotels, restaurants and bars out of the Maharashtra Police Act. Instead, such permissions will be governed by the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working Therein) Act, 2016.

The government said bar owners had found a way around the 2016 law by obtaining orchestra licences under the Police Act and using them to conduct dance performances.

Under Section 33 of the Maharashtra Police Act, police commissioners and district magistrates can issue licences for public performances, including music and dance. It is these provisions that the government now wants to amend.

The Statement of Objects and Reasons accompanying the Bill says licences for live music performances issued under the Police Act have increasingly been used as an alternative to dance performance licences under the 2016 Act. “To curb this practice,” it says, orchestra licences in hotels, restaurants and bars need to be brought within the ambit of the Dance Bar Act instead.

The amendment follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s announcement in the Assembly last week that the government had identified an “escape route” being used by some establishments despite the enactment of the Dance Bar Act.

“We will bring an amendment to the Maharashtra Police Act in this Monsoon Session itself to stop this practice,” Fadnavis had said.

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If passed, the amendment would mean bars and restaurants can no longer rely on orchestra licences issued under the Police Act for performances that fall within the scope of the Dance Bar Act. Such establishments will instead have to comply with the conditions laid down under the 2016 law.

The move is the government’s latest attempt to tighten regulation of dance bars, an issue that has seen repeated legal and political battles over the past two decades. The state maintains that the amendment is intended to ensure that establishments cannot bypass one law by seeking licences under another.

Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra’s hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues.
Expertise

Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai.

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Alok Deshpande’s rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra.
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