The government of Maharashtra seems to be protesting too much about the dance bars. It has been acting sanctimonious over the issue ever since 2005, when it banned the dance bars. The Bombay High Court revoked the ban in 2006, and the decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2013. This did not stop the government from attempting to enforce the ban one more time in 2014, only to be thwarted again by the Supreme Court in 2015. Now that the Supreme Court has directed the state government to grant licences to dance bars by March 15, the latter is trying to bring about a legislation that will include strict rules to "prevent obscenity in the name of orchestra and dance". The double standards inherent in this ongoing display of high-mindedness had been exposed by the Supreme Court's ruling of 2013 - which pointed out that while the government was banning dance bars on the grounds that they are dens of vice promoting obscenity and the exploitation of women, it was allowing dance performances in high-end hotels. Reacting to the criticism, the government extended the reach of the ban to include expensive hotels and private clubs. The government's fervour in this regard has done more harm than good, needless to say. Many of the women thrown out of job by the ban have resorted to more dangerous forms of livelihood in the near-absence of alternative sources of employment. So much for the government's contention that it is trying to save women from abuse by banning the dance bars.

How can the democratic State meddle in the Constitutional right of adult citizens to choose their professions? If some women want to earn their livelihood by dancing in bars - they maintain that this is an art form and are seconded by the Supreme Court on this - why should the State stand in their way? If the government thinks that women's safety is at stake in the dance bars then it should find a solution in consultation with the stakeholders. The salacious nature of the authorities' interest in the issue is underlined by one of the conditions the Maharashtra Police had wanted to impose on the bars. It had insisted that CCTVs be installed in the bars and the activities be beamed live to the police. The idea of keeping an eye takes on a new meaning when the police - who are not known for their gender sensitivity - are imagined examining the live feed. The apex court has summarily dismissed the suggestion.