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Mumbai's Bar Girls Win Big in Court

April 13, 2006 at 10:15 AM | 0 Comments

One unique feature of Mumbai nightlife has been its dance bars, where pretty ladies dance to Bollywood songs in return for tips in the form of "money showers" from appreciative men. At least they don't call them golden showers.

The bars were a feature until last fall, when the state government there banned the practice, saying that the dance bars were a cover for prostitution and encouraged crime. With one stroke of the pen, 75,000 women were thrown out of work and 1,300 bars were closed. With few other options, some of the former dancers did take up the world's oldest profession to make ends meet.

Yesterday, Mumbai's High Court overturned the ruling, saying that the ban was unconstitutional. The bar girls, the owners, and other workers aren't out of the woods yet, though, since the ban will remain in effect for at least eight more weeks to give the state to file an appeal. The state has said it will require to bars to re-apply for permits, so we hope that money showers are soon to return.

Related Stories:
·   Mumbai dance bars to reopen [GG2]
·   Bar girls dance with joy over HC order [Hindustan Times]
·   Ban lifted but dance bar not a fundamental right [Culcutta Telegraph]
·   Bar Girls of Mumbai [Dance with Shadows]