Dance Bar Association president Bharat Thakur said, “I welcome the Supreme Court’s decision, as it brings a ray of hope for the thousands of unemployed bar dancers who can now bring their lives back on track. The state government was not justified in its ban on dance bars or in making artists (bar dancers) unemployed by labelling all of them as prostitutes.”

According to the association, the SC has given January 11, 2017 as the next date for hearing “By that time, the state has to allow all dance bars to operate in Mumbai,” said Thakur.